NZ First Foundation took in $750,000!

Stuff reports:

Two people charged in connection with the NZ First Party donations’ scandal are alleged to have fraudulently depositing more than $740,000 into NZ First Foundation account.

That is not pocket change.

Charging documents obtained by Stuff allege the pair, between September 30, 2015 and February 14, 2020, deposited a total of $746,881 into two separate accounts including the New Zealand First Foundation (NZFF).

The SFO alleges the pair intended to deceive NZ First’s party secretary, and/or the Electoral Commission.

“The defendants adopted a fraudulent device, trick or stratagem, whereby party donations for the Party were paid into the bank accounts of [suppressed] and the NZFF and not notified to the Party Secretary, or declared by the Party Secretary to the Electoral Commission,” the documents stated.

The Electoral Act is crystal clear. S207(B) states “Every person to whom a party donation is given or sent must, within 10 working days after receiving the donation, either transmit the donation to the party secretary; or deposit the donation into a bank account nominated by the party secretary.“

And if the Party Secretary did not know, he or she could not notify the Electoral Commission.