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Claire Eastham-Farrelly / RNZ
The trial was interrupted by the country’s Covid-19 blockades.
A former Auckland liquidator has been found guilty of fraud on charges brought by the Serious Fraud Office.
Geoffrey Martin Smith was convicted of two counts of theft by a person in a special relationship and two counts of perjury under the Crimes Act and two counts of obstruction of an investigation under the Serious Fraud Offices Act.
Smith was found guilty on Friday after a trial with only one judge in Auckland District Court.
The trial ran on and off from March to July due to Covid-19 restrictions and delays.
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Smith was found to have stolen around $ 130,000 from two companies while acting as a liquidator. The Serious Fraud Office had alleged that he stole $ 270,000, but that was later reviewed.
He first appeared in court in 2018 and did not plead guilty.
The perjury charges refer to documents filed by Smith in civil proceedings related to the same settlement activities.
The charges of obstructing an investigation relate to the defendant’s willful failure to comply with two separate notices issued under section 9 of the Serious Fraud Offices Act regarding the investigation of his affairs.
Smith was placed in pretrial detention to be sentenced on November 19.
