The 66-year-old woman, who was charged with money laundering and structuring transactions to avoid authorities, hides her face as she leaves court. Photo / NZME
The 66-year-old woman, who was charged with money laundering and structuring transactions to avoid authorities, hides her face as she leaves court. Photo / NZME
Three people accused of using ANZ branches across Auckland to launder dirty money and of structuring financial transactions to avoid authorities will go to trial.
The trio, all of whom have interim name suppression, were arrested last August during an investigation by the police's Financial Crime Group targeting third partiesallegedly disguising funds and assets for organised criminals.
As part of the sting, code-named Operation Menelaus, three Remuera properties worth more than $7.3 million were restrained by police. At the homes, officers found $250,000 in cash and said a further $727,000 in several bank accounts was frozen.
Luxury European vehicles including a $280,000 Bentley Bentayga, a $120,000 Mercedes GLS, a Porsche Cayenne and a Mercedes C-Class were also seized.
In all, six people were arrested as several properties in the Auckland suburbs of Remuera, East Tamaki Heights, Papatoetoe and Karaka were raided.
Police said they had been watching the group since the start of the year.
The Porsche Cayenne which police siezed during Operation Menelaus. Photo / Supplied
Three of them had their case called this afternoonin the Auckland District Court, including a 66-year-old woman.
She was charged with six counts of money laundering and a charge of structuring transactions under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act (AML/CFT).
Detective Senior Sergeant Wayne Gray has told the Herald the woman is accused of deliberately keeping transactions below a certain threshold to evade legal reporting requirements.
Meanwhile, a 39-year-old man faces 22 charges, including 20 counts of money laundering.
According to court documents viewed by the Herald, he was accused of depositing thousands of allegedly dirty dollars at ANZ branches across Auckland, including at branches in Remuera, Newmarket, Parnell, Albany, Greenlane and Mt Eden.
The third person, a man in his 30s, faces money laundering, firearms and drugs charges.
The 39-year-old man who faces money laundering allegations leaves the Auckland District Court last year. Photo / NZME
All three are on electronically monitored bail and as part of their conditions, the court has heard, they have been ordered to surrender their passports and are barred from entering any ANZ branch or any other financial institution to deposit cash or cheques.
They were also ordered not to conduct any electronic banking, apart from everyday personal transactions.
The trio have denied the allegations against them and a five-week trial was scheduled today by Judge Evangelos Thomas to begin in September next year.
The remaining three who were arrested during last August's raids, however, have had their charges dropped and are no longer being prosecuted, the Herald earlier revealed.
