Private charges laid against polytech staff

At Titahi Bay man has initiated private criminal charges against Whitireia polytechnic and students association staff.

Jon Creser has lodged information in Porirua District Court against Whitireia Community Polytechnic chief executive Donald Campbell, former Whitireia Students Association president Mahia Fuimaono and association accountant Dennis Savin.

They are due to appear in the court on July 23 to answer charges of false accounting.

Mr Creser has alleged that the association failed to account for a $200,000-tax liability in its 2010 or 2011 financial statements filed with the Charities Commission.

Mr Creser has filed the charges on behalf of the New Zealand Private Prosecution Service Limited, which is headed by Wellington man Graham McCready.

Mr McCready carried out a successful private prosecution of Hutt South MP Trevor Mallard for fighting with MP Tau Henare at Parliament in 2007.

He has also privately charged ACT MP John Banks with filing a false electoral return after his campaign for the Auckland mayoralty in 2010.

He has also begun a private prosecution of United Future MP Peter Dunne to try to obtain emails he exchanged with a Fairfax reporter.

Mr McCready, a retired accountant, was sentenced to six months of home detention in 2009 on tax fraud charges involving $183,155.