A former police officer is accused of the theft of more than $600,000 from a Taranaki Maori trust .
Shaun Joseph Keenan was previously the chief executive of the Ngāti Te Whiti Whenua Topu Trust, which was formed through the amalgamation of the Bayly Rd and Puke Ariki trusts.
Keenan, who was a police officer for more than 20 years, has been charged with 57 charges relating to the theft of more than $630,000 from the hapu organisation.
The offending is alleged to have taken place between February 2012 and April 2017.
The charges include 46 counts of theft by a person in a special relationship, five of obtains by deception and six of forgery.