POLICING SERIOUS FRAUD IN NEW ZEALAND

• NCJ Number: 146298
• Journal: Crime, Law and Social Change Volume: 20 Issue: 3 Dated: (October 1993) Pages: 233-248
• Author(s): G Newbold; R Ivory
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: Netherlands
• Note: Paper presented at the 44th annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, 1992, New Orleans

Annotation

Since a corporate boom in New Zealand in the 1980's, followed by the share market crash of 1987, extensive fraud has emerged as a serious problem.

Abstract

Initial attempts by New Zealand's Department of Justice to combat fraud failed. In 1990, however, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) was established and given powers greater than those ever granted to a New Zealand law enforcement agency. As of 1993, the SFO had been notified of possible fraud cases totaling $2.5 billion. Since 1990, only 1 of 17 fraud prosecutions has failed, and prison sentences of up to 7 years and averaging almost 4 years have been awarded. The recent history of commercial policing in New Zealand is traced, particularly with respect to the investigation of serious fraud prior to 1985, the work of the Department of Justice's Corporate Fraud Unit between 1985 and 1988, and the growing influence of the SFO on illegal business activities. 62 notes and references