NZ America’s Cup team hit by financial scam controversy
Informants, a scam and ‘a highly orchestrated attack… by people with questionable motives’: Emirates Team New Zealand’s (ETNZ) CEO
Grant Dalton came out fighting in June when the team was hit by a controversy over missing money and its financial affairs.
Dalton sacked contractors working for the team, alleging they had leaked information over a period of months, while admitting the team had fallen victim to an email scam and paid NZ$1M to a bank account in Hungary.
The New Zealand Herald reported that a police investigation is under way into how a hacker posing as a European TV contractor convinced Emirates Team New Zealand to send a large financial payment to the Hungarian bank.
Allegations of mishandling of public money were hotly denied by Dalton: “These people have made highly defamatory and inaccurate allegations against ACE (the event arm), ETNZ and its personnel,” he said told New Zealand publication Stuff.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE), the lead agency involved in running the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland next year, confirmed it was aware of claims relating to the organisation of the event, including “claims around structural and financial matters.” Around NZ$250M of public funding (£128m) has been earmarked for preparations for the next Cup.
“We are working with America’s Cup Events and Emirates Team New Zealand in relation to the claims made,” said Iain Cossar, general manager tourism. “We’re unable to go into further detail at this time due to commercial sensitivity, but we will provide a full update once more information is available.” Pending the outcome of an investigation, the New Zealand government has frozen any further payments.
Dalton commented: “We want to reassure our supporters, sponsors and partners that there has been no misappropriation of public money, and we are working with MBIE to clear all allegations. As a team, all we want to do is defend this America’s Cup successfully in March 2021, and showcase to the world what an amazing country we have.”