SPCS

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTION OF COMMUNITY STANDARDS INC.

Transparency International (NZ): anti-corruption registered charity speaks out

by Leave a Comment

The Serious Fraud Office has also recently secured convictions against 18 company directors and officials from eight finance companies that faltered or failed after the 2008 global financial crisis…. [The Companies Office National Enforcement Unit also secured many convictions against company directors for breaches of the Companies Act 1993, Financial Reporting Act 1993 etc over this period].

In politics, one lawmaker, John Banks, is on trial, fighting allegations he failed to properly report donations. Another, Maurice Williamson, recently resigned his ministerial portfolios after acknowledging he improperly contacted police about their investigation into an associate and party donor who was facing assault charges.

In business, the Serious Fraud Office is investigating kiwifruit exporter Zespri, after a subsidiary company and an independent distributor in China were each found guilty of smuggling, for underreporting imports and avoiding millions of dollars in duties.

Transparency International uses expert opinion and polling to compile its annual Corruption Perception Index, which scores each nation on its perceived level of public-sector corruption. [Read more…]

Scandals tarnish NZ’s corrupt-free image

by Leave a Comment

Scandals in sport, politics and business beg the question: is New Zealand complacent about corruption? Nick Perry of the Associated Press reports.

If any country has a squeaky-clean image, it is New Zealand. It’s a place where police officers won’t even accept freebies from burger joints. It’s been ranked the world’s least corrupt nation for eight years straight by the watchdog group Transparency International.

Recent scandals in business, politics and sports, however, may put that reputation under threat. Some observers say the South Pacific nation’s sterling record for fairness may have made it complacent and less watchful for shady behaviour.

See full story by Nick Perry. Published 29 May 2014.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/10096613/Scandals-tarnish-NZs-corrupt-free-image

Note:

The Society for Promotion of Community Standards Inc. (“SPCS”) has been approved bronze level membership status in Transparency International (New Zealand) Inc. (TINZ) – the recognised New Zealand representative of Transparency International, the global civil society organisation against corruption. SPCS was approved “bronze level”, along with other new members (including the Earthquake Commission), at the TINZ Annual General Meeting held at Archives New Zealand on the 19th of November, 2013. Like SPCS, TINZ, is a registered charity (Charity No. CC2305) which was registered on 30 June 2008.

See:  https://www.spcs.org.nz/spcs-approved-as-member-of-transparency-international-new-zealand/

Also see SPCS Consitution (available www.charities.govt.nz  – Charity No. CC20268)

S. 2 (d) of Constitution states: “To focus attention on the harmful nature and consequences of sexual promiscuity, obscenity, pornography, violence, fraud, dishonesty in business, expoitation, abuse of alcohol and drugs, and other forms of moral corruption.”

Serious Fraud Office’s crime blind spot highlighted in SSC Review

by Leave a Comment

The Serious Fraud Office does not have the ability to proactively target serious financial crime, and preventing this offending is probably better done by other agencies, says a Government-commissioned review.

When SFO director Julie Read took up her post last year she told the Herald the agency would like to be a “bit more proactive”.

Asked if the SFO’s more reactive approach would change, Read said this would be partly answered by a State Services Commission review, which was issued this week.

The report says the justice sector is focusing more on crime prevention.

But lead reviewer Debbie Francis said that while better access to intelligence could support earlier detection of financial crime, preventive activity was not supported by the SFO’s statutory mandate and was “probably better done by others”.

Francis said the SFO did not have the ability to develop a current, medium or long-term view of possible threats, and this was required to “proactively target high priority serious financial crime and corruption”.

The strongest “preventive element” of the SFO’s activity was the deterrent effect of its investigations and successful prosecutions.

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11262890 [Read more…]

Verbal abuse of kids ‘an offence’

by Leave a Comment

Calling your 10-year-old daughter a whore should be recognised as a crime in the same way smacking is, a veteran police officer says.

Detective Sergeant David Beattie, of New Plymouth, is fronting a call for legislation that recognises psychological abuse as an offence.

This type of abuse was often worse than physical violence and had longer lasting implications for the victims, Beattie said.

“I have examples of a father calling his 10-year-old daughter a “little whore” for misbehaving and the F word and the C word being regularly levelled at children,” he said.

“What I’m suggesting is that this is a more serious offence than smacking yet legislation does not reflect that. It’s not about criminalising parents but protecting children.”

As it stands using obscene and offensive language towards a child is only a criminal offence when there is a protection order in place.

“I would like to see it as an offence to use this language towards a child under the age of 14 and to summons the parent to court.”

Penalties could include compulsory attendance of parenting courses, he said. “If parents have to do several of these to get the message, it’s money well spent.”

For full story go to: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/10091117/Verbal-abuse-of-kids-an-offence

Judge backs blogger’s fight against fraud – Auckland District Court decision King vs Taylor

by Leave a Comment

A fraudster’s victim who fought back has won a landmark battle to name and shame the man who scammed him and dozens of others. The Sunday Star Times (p. A5) in its report today describes the anti-fraud campaigner Steve Taylor as an “Online hero” (caption  below his colour photo).

Re: Auckland District Court decision by Judge DM Wilson QC dated 24 April 2014  – Grant Norman King (Applicant) vs Stephen Dylan Taylor (Respondent) CIV -2014-004-000122

Lawyer Madeleine Flannagan, who advised [Steve] Taylor and has been the victim of online harassment herself, said the judge’s decision showed free speech was alive and well.

She said the unique nature of the case, setting a new precedent in harassment laws, meant it was already being used by media law professors at Auckland University.

Taylor’s website [http://www.grantnormanking.com/] also resulted in King being punished. Since setting up the website, Taylor said more than 70 victims had come forward, across a 32-year span, claiming losses of more than $3 million.

As a result, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry of Social Development began their own investigations, which ultimately led to eight convictions against King for fraud. According to Taylor’s timeline, the pattern of dishonesty started when King was convicted of receiving stolen vehicles in 1982.

See Full story by Rob Kid published 25/05/14

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/10081333/Judge-backs-bloggers-fight-against-fraud
[Read more…]