Dodgy, bankrupt real estate agent sentenced

A bankrupt caught running a ‘‘complicated and extensive web’’ of offending that ‘‘entangled many innocent parties’’ has been sentenced to home detention.

Chairat Santipongchai ran a homebuilding company and dishonestly borrowed money for his own use, despite having been bankrupted owing $750,000 in 2013 and admitting misappropriating money as a real estate agent in 2015.

Auckland-based Santipongchai, who has changed his name by deed poll to Henry Harrison, at one time worked as a top Harcourts real estate agent in Christchurch under the name Henry Santipongchai.

Santipongchai pleaded guilty in the Auckland District Court to 12 charges under the Insolvency Act. They included managing a business called MD Global Developments Ltd while bankrupt, concealing property and obtaining credit without the consent of the official assignee.

‘‘Mr Santipongchai deceptively entered into contracts with suppliers and contractors, and resorted to sourcing various lines of credit from financial institutions for his personal benefit when MD Global Developments Limited began defaulting on its financial responsibilities,’’ official assignee Ross van der Schyff said.

In breach of bankruptcy restrictions, he established the company, appointed his son as director and obtained credit from an associate unaware of his bankrupt status.

‘‘The complicated and extensive web of his offending entangled many innocent parties, going against the provisions put in place to protect Kiwis from unscrupulous dealings,’’ van der Schyff said.

He said Santipongchai owed more than $150,000 when his deliberate offending was uncovered, and concealed profits from the business.

Santipongchai was sentenced to 12 months’ home detention, and ordered to complete 200 hours of community work.

He is prohibited from running a company for another five years.

‘‘The severity of his sentence is a strong acknowledgement that this sort of deception carried out by a bankrupt person will not be tolerated’’, van der Schyff said.

In 2015, Santipongchai was found guilty of disgraceful conduct by the Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal and his real estate licence was cancelled.

He had misappropriated money from clients in Christchurch, including a purchase deposit and funds handed over for real estate advertising.

At the time, Santipongchai said he had let down Harcourts, his God and himself, and promised to devote himself to building churches and teaching people to do the right thing.