14 May 2021

Expert on SFO Labour Party donation charges

From Morning Report, 7:46 am on 14 May 2021

The Serious Fraud Office is accusing six people of making donations to the Labour Party on the behalf of another donor, whose identity they tried to conceal.

There are 12 charges in total - with each person facing two counts of obtaining by deception over a donation of at least $34,000 made in March 2017.

The SFO says the donor's identity was not disclosed in Labour's annual return of party donations and accuses the group of providing five names to "create the illusion" of five donations of sums of less than $15,000.

Otago university law professor Andrew Geddis spoke to Susie Ferguson.