The Government was warned a recycling contractor was collecting an excessive salary and his company was insolvent months before his firm collapsed losing millions of taxpayer dollars.

The Serious Fraud Office's highly-trumpeted "largest ever" fraud case in New Zealand history has ended with a broke ex-lawyer getting home detention.

The Crown says one of the defendants in an ad scam trial was a "parasite" but the defence claims some people who bought ads from him were just "stupid".

Think your company is immune from employee fraud? Better think again, investigators tell Helen Twose.

Police are targeting more assets associated with a businessman serving the longest prison sentence given to any failed finance company director.

A multi-million dollar insurance claim by Bridgecorp's receivers against Lloyd's Underwriters in London has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

Judith Collins talked of being "let down" after being cleared of allegations that she was involved in a smear campaign against Adam Feeley, the former chief executive of the Serious Fraud Office.

A "predatory" Dunedin lawyer who stole $2.8 million from 32 clients over 21 years in one of the longest-running frauds in NZ history has today been jailed for more than eight years.

A probe that has already uncovered nearly $10 million in misappropriated tertiary funding is to be expanded to include a dozen suspect programmes around the country.

Far fewer victims of financial crime are satisfied with the sentences handed to white collar criminals than two years ago, according to a Serious Fraud Office survey.

An Auckland businessman who shared a $1.1m payout after a failed SFO prosecution says the acquitted South Canterbury Finance defendants appear to "have good cause" to make their own application for court costs.

The taxpayer's bill for the South Canterbury Finance prosecution could be nearing $1.5 million and might balloon if acquitted defendants push for costs.

Bungled handling of a secret government report has revealed alarming levels of fraud at the Accident Compensation Corporation scheme and in the health sector.

A now-bankrupt insurance broker who shared a kickback with a senior Bunnings manager in order to keep the store's business has been jailed for four years.

The Serious Fraud Office is defending its decision to bring charges against three former South Canterbury Finance heads after two of the trio were acquitted yesterday.

A former director of South Canterbury Finance found guilty of making false statements couldn't hide his anger at the verdict as he left a Timaru courtroom today.

The fate of three businessmen accused of masterminding the "biggest fraud in New Zealand's history" will be determined tomorrow morning.

When John Key dumped Judith Collins at the height of the Dirty Politics affair, he refused to disclose who gave him a copy of the email that prompted him to dump her from the Cabinet.

The SFO trial against former New Zealand Wine Company chief executive Peter Scutts has been delayed because of key defence witness having surgery.

A Dunedin lawyer has today admitted being behind a Ponzi scheme where he stole $2.8 million from clients over 21 years.

Exclusive: The Warriors are caught up in an investigation into a Maori tourism qualification involving alleged overpayments of $6 million of taxpayers' money.

A former Mighty River Power engineer accused of $2 million fraud at the company has pleaded not guilty this morning.

The receivers of failed lender Bridgecorp have eked out another $4m after cutting a deal over a loan on which it held an insurance policy.

An insurance broker who shared a kickback with a senior manager at Bunnings Warehouse in order to keep the hardware chain's business has today been found guilty.

Cameron Slater claimed on more than one occasion that former Cabinet minister Judith Collins was out to have the Serious Fraud Office director sacked.