Serious Fraud Office open investigation into NZ First Foundation

The Serious Fraud Office is looking into the New Zealand First Foundation, which made high-dollar donations to Peters’ party.

The Serious Fraud Office have confirmed it has opened an investigation into the New Zealand First Foundation.

The Electoral Commission received a complaint about the New Zealand First Foundation in November following reports alleging the Electoral Act may have been breached. 

Last week, a complaint around the New Zealand First Foundation was referred to police - who then referred the matter to the SFO. 

New Zealand First leader and deputy PM Winston Peters released a Facebook Live video on Wednesday last week saying his "message was not edited or contaminated by interfering comment not associated with the facts".

"I did not receive any money, full stop. I’m not part of the foundation, full stop," he said.

"Have I got any information I can offer to the police or SFO? No, because I’ve never seen any of the accounts. And that happens to be the truth."

Yesterday National's Paula Bennett called for Winston Peters to be stood down as deputy Prime Minister for what she claimed was "unethical behaviour".

Earlier on Monday on TVNZ 1's Breakfast Jacinda Ardern denied she was "going easy" on Mr Peters.

"There is a distinction here, I run the Government, individual party leaders need to be responsible for their own management of their political parties."

The agency is looking into the secretive foundation bankrolling New Zealand First.

Winston Peters last Monday released a statement in which he recommended to his party's president "that she begin preparing a complaint to the police over the massive breach of New Zealand First’s party information".

"Ongoing media stories using as their source stolen information are designed to skew an even political playing field.

"New Zealand First has so far been sensitive to the circumstances surrounding the theft of party information but can no longer tolerate the mendacious attacks against the party and its supporters," Mr Peters wrote. 

On January 29, the SFO filed criminal charges in an unrelated case against four people over donations paid into a National Party electorate bank account. Simon Bridges had not been charged, and neither had the party.

Allegations around Deputy PM Winston Peters’ party came up last year.

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