Reappointment Of The Director Of The Serious Fraud Office

The State Services Commissioner, Michael Wintringham, announced today the reappointment of Mr David Bradshaw as the Chief Executive and Director of the Serious Fraud Office for a further term of five years.

"Mr Bradshaw has done an outstanding job in directing this key organisation in the criminal justice sector," Mr Wintringham said. "I have every confidence in his integrity and ability".

"Mr Bradshaw has come under fire in the last week over his investigation into the use of National party funds. Several people have questioned his independence and there has been speculation on his reappointment. I do not want this speculation to continue," Mr Wintringham said.

"I decided several weeks ago to recommend Mr Bradshaw's reappointment, and the Government accepted that recommendation on 29 April 2002," he said.

Mr Bradshaw was first appointed to the position for a term of five years in 1997.

The Serious Fraud Office is a small Government department, currently with 35 staff, responsible for the detection, investigation and prosecution of serious or complex fraud.

The Office works at the boundary between the criminal law and the commercial law. It interacts closely with the Police in the law enforcement field and the Securities Commission and the Ministry of Economic Development in the commercial field. The Office also interacts with overseas law enforcement and regulatory agencies in pursuing transnational offending.

"The effectiveness of the Serious Fraud Office over recent years can be measured in part by the increased number of prosecutions being taken by the Office. Despite the additional workload demands flowing from such an increase in prosecutions the Office maintains a success rate of around 90 percent. This is a reflection of the high levels of investigatory, legal and forensic accounting skills possessed by the staff of the Office," Mr Wintringham said.

"The reappointment of the Director will ensure continuity and certainty as the Office continues to tackle increasingly complex fraud cases and new forms of offending," he said.

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