He was asked by Mr Calver why he had not set up a New Zealand registered company with an overseas bank account for trading.
It was easier to register it in the Dominican Republic, he said, because company registration there didn't require a director, a secretary or any documents to go to the IRS "because they don't have one".
He also said that when he was wanting to transfer money, the money would travel through about four different entities.
Mr Calver told the jury earlier this week that Rens wasn't a "crook", and simply hadn't been able to ascertain what had happened to the money.
The court heard how the group of investors had not seen a "penny" of their investment or any supposed profits they had made.
The first investor was a flying instructor who had met Rens at the Hawke's Bay Gliding club, and who gave him $11,000 in 2004. By the next year, 12 people had invested sums ranging from $5000 to $105,000, totalling $243,000.
By 2006 the investors became restless about their money and calls, emails and meetings were attempted with Rens. When they eventually received responses from him some of them asked for their money back, crown prosecutor Josh Lucas said.
In 2007, Rens left his Havelock North home "without telling any of the investors where he was going" and without any money being returned, and not long afterwards police were notified.
He was arrested and charged in 2010.
