Attorney-General caught filing false declarations

NEWS RELEASE FROM INVESTIGATE:
EMBARGOED UNTIL 11:59pm Sunday March 19 2006

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Attorney-General David Parker could face up to $1.8 million in fines or a five year jail term after filing false statements with the Companies Office during his time as a Labour MP, according to a story in the latest Investigate magazine.

The magazine says it has six documents bearing David Parker’s name, that make a false declaration to the New Zealand Companies Office about the Labour MP’s business affairs. Four of the documents have been submitted since Parker became a Labour MP, the most recent document is dated 2005.

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The documents relate to a company, Queens Park Mews Ltd, of which Parker was an equal one-third shareholder along with his father and a Dunedin businessman, Russell Hyslop.

Under section 196(2)the Companies Act directors are required to file an annual return to the Companies Office each year, and appoint an auditor to the company’s affairs, unless the shareholders have passed a unanimous resolution not to seek an audit.

Such a resolution is required under section 122 to be in writing, signed by all shareholders and held in the company's minutes book.

The director is required to declare to the Companies Office whether a unanimous shareholders’ resolution has been passed, and if so on what date.

Russell Hyslop has told Investigate he and Parker had a falling out over what he alleges was the Labour MP’s refusal to pay him up to half a million dollars he was owed, back in early 1997.

Hyslop alleges Parker’s refusal to pay up pushed Hyslop into personal bankruptcy, and he has told Investigate that he has had no business dealings with Parker since July 1997 and has never been asked to vote on a unanimous resolution waiving his right to audit the company’s affairs.

But Investigate’s search of the company records has found a series of documents signed by David Parker stating that each year the shareholders have passed such a resolution.

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Under section 377 The Companies Act 1993 it is an offence to file false statements to the Companies Office, punishable under section 373(4) by up to five years jail or a $200,000 fine per offence.

Investigate magazine alleges between five and nine false statements were filed.

Please click here to hear Russell Hyslop being interviewed about the "unanimous" resolutions.

The full story, including further irregularities involving David Parker's business dealings, is contained exclusively in the print edition of Investigate, out today.

ENDS

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