Banks cut ties with Mob-link chip shop

He was cleared of money-laundering but the police – and now his banks – are still targeting Valentine Nicholas, writes Tony Wall.

There’s a sign at Maketu Takeaways – the fish ’n chip shop immortalised in Robin White’s 1975 painting – saying ‘‘no eftpos, sorry for the inconvenience’’.

It’s the latest move by the state – and now private companies – to crack down on the shop’s owner, senior Mongrel Mob member Valentine Nicholas.

Nicholas has been in police sights ever since he was acquitted of money laundering charges at trial in 2015. Police used the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act, which has a lower threshold than criminal charges, to seize assets worth more than $1m, including three adjoining waterfront properties in Maketu, a forestry block in Gisborne, nine bank accounts containing $26,000, shares worth $14,000, motorbikes, cars, and $8000 cash.

They claimed it was the proceeds of criminal offending, namely cannabis dealing – which Nicholas denies.

The Court of Appeal allowed Nicholas to challenge the High Court finding, arguing that the ancestral land, left to him by his father, is of cultural and spiritual significance to him. The case remains before the courts.

Nicholas accuses police of a personal vendetta, but Detective Inspector Craig Hamilton, of the Hamilton police asset recovery unit, said actions were ‘‘appropriate and justified’’.

Nicholas is now fighting another battle – against his bank.

In March he bought the takeaway shop, after his brother, fellow Mongrel Mob member William Nicholas, put the business into liquidation owing more than $100,000 to the IRD.

Nicholas started a new company, Maketu Takeaways, of which he was director and shareholder.

The shop’s banking was with ANZ, where Nicholas had held an account for 52 years since opening one as a five-year-old schoolboy. He says he was never overdrawn and always paid his credit cards on time.

But then out of the blue, ANZ closed his personal accounts and told him it would no longer offer him banking services.

‘‘They said ‘under general terms and conditions, we don’t have to have a reason – we can pull the plug whenever we like’,’’ Nicholas said.

Nicholas’ lawyer advised him to stand down as a director of Maketu Takeaways so its banking wouldn’t be affected. So he put his shares into a trust and continued to help his mother-inlaw and daughter-in-law run the place.

A friend who runs a honey business and has no Mongrel Mob connections was appointed a director and shareholder and bank accounts were in his name.

Then last week, an automatic payment failed for the wholesaler which supplies his chips, spring rolls and sausages. ANZ had closed that account as well.

It’s forced the shop to become cash-only. ‘‘Eftpos is 80 to 90 per cent of the fish shop business,’’ Nicholas said.

‘‘It’s a bugger. The shop owner across the road has been good – he’s giving out eftpos cash for the locals to come over and buy their fish and chips.

‘‘But he closes at six, so we’ve got an hour where you can’t get eftpos. If they’re locals we’ve been going ‘come in and pay it tomorrow’.’’

Nicholas believes police tipped off ANZ and Hamilton said it was common for police to make inquiries with banks when investigating suspected criminals.

‘‘As such, banks will inevitably learn of a police investigation through this process.’’

‘‘It’s a bugger. If they’re locals we’ve been going ‘come in and pay it tomorrow’.’’ Valentine Nicholas