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Auckland, May 7, 2018
A former trustee of a trust which manages a large block of forested Maori land has pleaded guilty to defrauding the entity of nearly $1 million in a Serious Fraud Office prosecution.
Margaret Dixon pleaded guilty to three representative charges of ‘Theft by person in special relationship’ under the Crimes Act at the Auckland District Court on May 3, 2018.
Ms Dixon’s brother, Stephen Henare, faces six charges of ‘Theft by person in special relationship’ also in relation to his role as a trustee of Parengarenga 3G (P3G) Trust, which looks after the 512 hectare forest block in the Tai Tokerau District of the Far North.
Mr Henare has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is due to appear in the Auckland District Court for a case review hearing on 23 May.
Intentional offence
Ms Dixon intentionally failed to deal with $934,270 of the trust’s funds in accordance with the P3G Trust Order. With the alleged involvement of Mr Henare, Ms Dixon facilitated the transfer of a significant amount of the trust’s money into various other bank accounts, including personal accounts and family trusts.
Mr Henare is separately charged with intentionally failing to deal with an additional amount of $149,627 in accordance with the P3G Trust Order – without the involvement of Ms Dixon.
Ms Dixon is scheduled to reappear in the Auckland District Court for sentencing on 6 July.
Background information
Margaret Dixon (59) and Stephen Henare (60) and five other people were appointed as trustees of the Parengarenga 3G (P3G) Trust in June 2012, in place of the Maori Trustee.
About $1.1 million was transferred from the Maori Trustee to P3G Trust bank accounts in August of that year. The funds were intended primarily for the management of the land and the forest for the benefit of the owners. A further $54,480 was also obtained by the trust from the sale of carbon credits.
P3G is a 511.83 hectare block of forested Maori land in the Tai Tokerau District in the Far North. The land and its assets are managed by the P3G Trust. There are hundreds of beneficial owners of the land.
Mr Henare and Ms Dixon have been removed as trustees of the P3G Trust.
-Serious Fraud Office Press Release
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Photo Caption:
Image Courtesy: RNZ (By Special Arrangement)
