Freight workers admit $350,000 kickbacks

Peter Sanele and Mark Treadwell pleaded guilty to fraud and corruption charges laid by the Serious Fraud Office in Auckland District Court today. Photo / File

Two former freight employees have admitted receiving kickbacks totalling more than $350,000.

Peter Sanele and Mark Treadwell pleaded guilty to fraud and corruption charges laid by the Serious Fraud Office in Auckland District Court today relating to their work at Thermakraft Industries Ltd.

Sanele, a 55-year-old former factory manager, acknowledged one Secret Commissions Act charge of failing to disclose a pecuniary interest in a contract and two representative Crimes Act charges of dishonest use of a document.

Treadwell, a former director and shareholder of the company, also pleaded guilty to the charge of failing to disclose a pecuniary interest in a contract.

The total amounts received by Sanele and Treadwell, 61, as a result of their offending were $261,030 and $90,000 respectively, the SFO said.

The Secret Commissions Act charge against the pair related to a company in which both men had an interest, JMP Transport Ltd, which supplied freight services to Thermakraft.

The defendants secretly received kickbacks for contracts between the two firms.

The two other charges against Sanele related to a company MacPallets, which supplied pallets and other packaging materials to Thermakraft.

Between 2009 and 2013, he submitted 51 false invoices to Thermakraft on behalf of MacPallets.

SFO Director Julie Read said: "Mr Sanele and Mr Treadwell were trusted employees of Thermakraft and obtained these commissions dishonestly by abusing that trust. This is the sort of behaviour that could harm New Zealand's good reputation for low levels of corruption in business."

The pair were remanded on bail and will be sentenced in December.