Iwi leader faces fraud charges after SFO probe
An iwi leader and adviser to the Ma¯ori King has appeared in court facing fraud charges.
Roger Haare Charles Pikia, 58, appeared at Auckland District Court following a long-running investigation by the Serious Fraud Office.
Listed as a company director on court documents, Pikia is charged with obtaining money by deception, perverting the course of justice, and two charges of breaching the Secret Commissions Act.
The investigation was launched almost four years ago after revelations that money belonging to Te Arawa River Iwi Trust (Tarit), which Pikia chaired, had been invested in Ka Ora Ltd, a health food company of which he was a director and previous shareholder.
Court documents seen by Stuff, allege Pikia conspired to obtain money from Tarit Holdings by deception by reaching an agreement to cut down trees at Eua Forest Tonga.
Between February 2014 and December 2015, Pikia is alleged to have obtained $364,500 from Tarit by falsely representing his role in settlement negotiations.
The SFO also alleges Pikia advised Tarit to enter into a contract with Ka Ora Ltd to buy shares for $400,000, without disclosing he would receive shares as a reward for securing the contract.
The SFO further alleges Pikia, while acting as an agent of Tarit, corruptly offered to accept, or solicited, $150,000 as a reward for lending his support, as a board member, to the purchase of a Rotorua property.
He is further charged with perverting the course of justice by allegedly altering Tarit board meeting minutes on January 2016. Judge Pippa Sinclair remanded Pikia on bail to next appear in court in February. Outside court yesterday, Pikia said while he was disappointed the SFO laid the charges against him, he was pleased he could ‘‘finally have a chance’’ to address the allegations.
‘‘I strenuously deny these allegations and unequivocally state that we will be vigorously defending the charges.’’
He said the restrictions imposed by the SFO during the investigation made it impossible for him to speak openly.
Tarit’s Tumu Whakarae (chief executive) Eugene BerrymanKamp, said the SFO’s action against its former chairman had not impacted on its ongoing operations. Pikia stood aside as the chairman last month and is no longer a director of the trust’s commercial arm.