In its just-released decision, the Employment Relations Authority has ordered Susan Hagai to repay the Hibernian Society $547,000. She was also made to repay interest on the money of $3695.61, plus $2000 in costs. Originally convicted by Judge Susan Thomas of defrauding the Hibernian Society, Judge Thomas, did not order Hagai to repay the $1,242,750 she Read more
A Wellington foodbank is being investigated for fraud, after it was deemed to be involved in “serious wrongdoing”. The Wellington Foodbank Service – not associated with the one run by the Wellington City Mission – has also now been stripped of its charitable status, with the Department of Internal Affairs advising major donors not to Read more
The Holy See has said it will co-operate fully with a fraud and corruption investigation into the money-smuggling activities of a senior cleric who headed the office that oversees Vatican property and investments. Monsignor Nunzio Scarano was arrested on a charge of attempting to smuggle €20 million ($NZ33.5 million) into Italy illegally. He was already Read more
The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga has alleged that 8 of its pastors have been misappropriating money. As a result of an investigation by the church’s general auditor it is alleged that approximately $342,000 in church funds have been misappropriated. One pastor from Eu’a, one from Vava’u and the others from Nuku’alofa remain with their Read more
A former Catholic parish priest who stole $149,000 from the church has won his appeal against sentence in the High Court and will serve his time on home detention. But Father John William Fitzmaurice, 57, was refused bail pending his appeal after the jail term was imposed in the Christchurch District Court on February 27, Read more
Christchurch’s Catholic Bishop, Barry Jones, says everyone who has been involved in the fraud committed by John Fitzmaurice have been extremely saddened. Bishop Jones expressed “disappointment” that his once-trusted priest had been jailed, having pleaded to the court for him to receive home detention. He was also saddened to lose the services of “a very able and Read more
John William Fitzmaurice pleaded guilty to five charges of dishonestly using documents and one of obtaining money by deception when he appeared in the Christchurch District Court on Monday. He committed the fraud while he was the parish priest at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and at Addington’s Sacred Heart Parish. The charges relate to Read more
Tonga’s auditor general, Pohiva Tu’I’Onetoa, is urging Liufau Saulala, a Auckland Tongan church leader, to resign after he invested Tokaikolo chuch funds into a failed investment scheme run by a New Zealander. Church members had been told by Saulala to raise more than $1 million to invest in a scheme organised by Nelson man, David John Hobbs. In Read more
In Samoa, a court has found a pastor’s wife guilty of fraud and has sentenced her to two and a half years in prison. According to the summary of facts, 38 year old Amelia Siaosi, the wife of the Pastor of the Good Samaritan church in Vaivase-uta, stole a substantial amount of money from her former employer, South Read more
Police believe people as far away as the South Island may have been subject to a scam when 100 Tongans turned up at Auckland Airport last week to collect airline tickets that never existed. The group paid a fraudulent immigration adviser $250 each for return airfares from Auckland to Tonga. Waikato police today said they Read more