Six properties, 22 high-end vehicles, eight boats and a vintage steam engine are among items convicted fraudster Michael Swann has been ordered to forfeit. He is serving a 9.5 year prison sentence for his part in a $16.9 million swindle of Otago District Health Board, while he was its information technology manager.
Fellow offender Kerry Harford reached a confidential settlement with the board and was sentenced to four years and three months’ prison. He was paroled in June after serving 18 months.
But Swann was held responsible for most of the offending – $15.1 m – and this week Justice Graham Panckhurst ordered the fortfeiture of $4.4 m of property and the payment of $6m.
Swann had refused to co-operate with the tracing of assets and “his attitude throughout has been the very antithesis of co-operation”, Justice Panckhurst said.
He ordered 33 items to be forfeited, including land, cars and boats worth a total of $3,492,583.
Swann’s wife, Anna Devereux, has until August 19 to hand over the family home in Dunedin and to pay $10,000 in outstanding rates. However, she was awarded items and money to the value of $55,000 as her interest in the property.
Source: NZPA (Dominion Post 4 Sept. p. A11).
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