4 May 2015

Former wine boss denies receiving kickbacks

2:24 pm on 4 May 2015

A former wine boss on trial for receiving kickbacks for an international wine deal is denying all the charges against him.

Former head of the New Zealand Wine Company, Peter Scutts, pleaded not guilty to 16 charges of dishonestly using a document, and one charge of receiving a secret reward, after a Serious Fraud Office investigation.

The Crown said Mr Scutts received payments from an Australian wholesaler based on the number of cases sold to them by the New Zealand Wine Company, after he arranged the deal between the two.

He was alleged to have received the equivalent of about $NZ64,000.

Crown lawyer Rachel Reed said Mr Scutts played a double game during the deal, and knew, or at least anticipated, he would be rewarded for it.