4 August 2016

Wellington Property Development prosecution

Name suppression was lifted in a Serious Fraud Office (SFO) prosecution yesterday and details can be published in relation to a case which is taking place in the Wellington High Court.

Three defendants were charged in July 2013 and all had name suppression orders which were lifted yesterday.

On 21 September 2015, Matene Love (54) pleaded guilty to one charge under Section 4 of the Secret Commissions Act. He was sentenced on 29 October 2015 to six months’ home detention. The charge was laid in June 2013 following an eight-month investigation.

The charge related to a property development in Wellington involving land and assets owned by the Wellington Tenths Trust (Tenths Trust). Mr Love arranged for a potential developer to pay him fees amounting to $168,750 to enable the developer to undertake the property development for the Tenths Trust. In putting in place these arrangements Mr Love represented that he was acting as an agent of the Tenths Trust.

Two other defendants, Sir Ralph Heberley Ngatata Love (78) and Lorraine Skiffington (58), were also charged by the Serious Fraud Office in June 2013 in relation to the same development. The charges against Ms Skiffington were permanently stayed in August 2015 due to her health.

Sir Ngatata Love faces one Crimes Act charge of ‘Obtaining by deception’ and one charge under Section 4 of the Secret Commissions Act. His trial continues in the Wellington High Court.

ENDS

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