No charges for Thompson & Clark after SFO declines to prosecute
There is confusion over a decision to close an investigation into private investigators, Thompson & Clark.
The Serious Fraud Office is not pressing charges, saying the “high evidential standard” for laying charges had not been met.
Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman says Thompson & Clark was spying on activists for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
“It’s very worrying when a firm like Thompson and Clark gets away with it, in this case when they were found to be doing a whole bunch of – in my opinion – unlawful things.”
Surprise, surprise – the SFO clears Thompson & Clark spying
When setting up the inquiry into state services using corporate spies to spy on activists and Kiwis, State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes said it was “never acceptable for an agency to undertake targeted surveillance of a person just because they are lawfully exercising their democratic rights, including their right to freedom of expression, association and right to protest”.
“That is an affront to democracy,” he said.
An. Affront. To. Democracy.
So the police investigated (despite originally ‘forgetting’ to start the investigation) and alongside the SFO decision, surprise, surprise the Police AND the SFO found Thompson & Clark didn’t break the law by secretly recording meetings of claimants.
Isn’t that convenient?
This is a private spying firm staffed by former Police Officers who use moonlighting Police Officers for their work and who beyond Southern Response, have worked for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, MSD, Crown Law, the Serious Fraud Office, Inland Revenue, MBIE, Foreign Affairs Ministry, ACC, Department of Internal Affairs, Maritime New Zealand, Ministry of Health, Department of Conservation, Otakaro, Te Papa, Niwa, AgResearch, Plant and Food, Education Ministry, Land Information NZ, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Agency, Housing NZ and the Police.
So if the SFO had found a breach of the law, that could trigger a cascade of problems for not only themselves, but the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, MSD, Crown Law, Inland Revenue, MBIE, Foreign Affairs Ministry, ACC, Department of Internal Affairs, Maritime New Zealand, Ministry of Health, Department of Conservation, Otakaro, Te Papa, Niwa, AgResearch, Plant and Food, Education Ministry, Land Information NZ, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Agency, Housing NZ and of course, the Police.
Again, isn’t that fantastically coincidental and serendipitously lucky for the corporate spies and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, MSD, Crown Law Inland Revenue, MBIE, Foreign Affairs Ministry, ACC, Department of Internal Affairs, Maritime New Zealand, Ministry of Health, Department of Conservation, Otakaro, Te Papa, Niwa, AgResearch, Plant and Food, Education Ministry, Land Information NZ, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Agency, Housing NZ, the Police and of course the SFO.
So the Police and SFO clear corporate spies of wrong doing that they themselves have hired Thompson & Clark to do?
How is this hypocrisy and clear vested interest not being highlighted by the media?
Part of the reason why I will invalidate my voting form next election. IMO, there are clear signs of increasing corruption in “god(dess)’s own country”. I am increasingly disabled & can now do little to demonstrate (like in 1981) the degree of my integrity, morality, compassion for others & & &. I long ago ceased to be proud to call myself a New Zealander.
This is probably more dangerous than people realize of police can just take off there uniforms and become immune from prosecution for accessing information they shouldn’t be accessing.
With greater responsibility should come greater consequence. It should be true for everyone, including police and elected officials.
There should be misdemeanour-level infringement fines for failure of duty for public officials, though. Cops, fire fighters, politicians, ect.
That said, I also think Police should be held more accountable on a civil level. Cops should require Malpractice Insurance just like doctors and lawyers. A lot of the current bullshit basically qualifies as extreme malpractice. If you could sue police for malpractice when necessary, they’d be a lot more careful.
What media, most of it now openly posts OZ articles?
Sad that the SFO are now just part of the problem from not bothering to investigate the DHB’s CEO Dave Macpherson helping himself to $200k of public money https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/07/05/dave-macpherson-serious-fraud-office-sends-terrible-message-over-former-waikato-dhb-ceos-200k-ripoff/ or the ANZ CEO’s property deals to his open expense account that he was not criminalised, to turning a blind eye to private firms spying on NZ citizens with dirty politics tactics.
Not just the SFO, the bloated 200 staffed commerce commission fail to notice the banks record profits (they have a lovely cosy relationship whereby the NZ banks ‘self report’ their failures to the commerce commission saving them the trouble of any investigation), so that while documents show the same banks expected $700+ million in fines from OZ for money laundering related offences BNZ rated it as ‘minor’ that the NZ authorities would ever bother to get involved and fine them. https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/114664719/bnz-struggled-to-abide-by-antimoney-laundering-laws
So what are the commerce commission up to, not the banks profits, nor the unsafe products in NZ, but apparently ability to delete Facebook reviews for start ups, which ‘may be a breach of the free trading act’…
Our agencies are not concerned with money launders, growing poverty in NZ from predatory behaviours from big players onto the public, record NZ multinational profits, DHB frauds, but instead 1st world problems that seem to be more about reducing freedom of speech (aka it is completely normal for blogs, Facebook holders and what have you to delete weirdo people and comments they don’t like, but apparently this ‘may’ be a trading breach) Big Brother combined with Nanny State anyone!
Wow no wonder the rich multinationals are getting richer and the poor locals are getting poorer in NZ and we don’t have any world class businesses starting or operating from NZ anymore, small business is toppled by overzealous and underworked petty officials from government run organisations who sweat the small stuff and turn a blind eye to the big stuff that is contributing to growing inequality and a more corrupt country with officials allowed to help themselves to expense and spy on their enemies without them knowing about it, and that is ok! (while deleting a Facebook post is not ok, apparently).
Beware TDB, you could have the commerce commission on your tail for deleting posts and negative feedback, while also have the harmful communications act or defamation suit if you don’t! Catch 22!
Auckland business accused of deleting negative Facebook comments
This poor lady has invested nearly $300!!
commerce commission, hot on their tails!! Whoop, whoop!
“The delay had frustrated some investors, including Auckland woman Katherine Palin, who said she and her husband contributed nearly $300 when the campaign first launched.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/114792003/auckland-business-accused-of-deleting-negative-facebook-comments
Another NZ disaster bought to their knees by our elite crime fighting officials (sarcasm) hard at work (sarcasm) on the trivial sucking the teat of the taxpayers while keeping mum about the bigger frauds going on that might require a little too much effort and competence that they are able!
Hi Save NZ,
I am sure it was NOT Dave Macpherson who ripped off the Waikato DHB, I am sure it was Nigel Murray the previous CEO. The Macpherson’s have had a bad time with the Waikato DHB. But a good response otherwise. Cheers.
So sorry you are completely right, Maama. Thanks for pointing it out.
You ought to get your facts straight. ‘Dave Macpherson’ was never the Waikato DHB CEO – Daily Blog, please remove that inaccuracy – SaveNZ, before you have any other rushes of blood to the head, please check your own assertions! You mean ‘Nigel Murray’ – whom I particularly don’t like being mistaken for!
And my question is the current government still using their spying services? ( because they shouldn’t its unethical )
Yep all is ‘in order’ in the state of Niu Zilliland.
I never expected any different outcome.
I also do not expect much from our Parliamentary Commissioners, and the Ombudsmen, they mostly seek and find every loophole in the law to avoid calling out those that commit wrongdoings, and they rather let them off the hook, except in a very few cases where it would look to abysmally embarrassing to do that.
NZ Inc continues to be a ‘joke’, a sick joke for a country and system it has.
Further good reasons to continue drugging and drinking, as one cannot have faith in this screwed up and much over rated country.
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