Assets seized over unpaid reparation

The Ministry of Justice yesterday confirmed some assets belonging to Richard Anderson had been seized.

The statement to the Otago Daily Times yesterday came after financial statements suggested the convicted fraudster had paid back less than 4% of the reparation owed by April.

Financial statements for Sevens with Altitude show Anderson (53) still owed the committee $47,021 as at March 31.

At his sentencing in September 2010, the former police detective was given until last Friday to repay $48,601 after he admitted defrauding the national rugby sevens tournament of $64,000, in 2009 and 2010.

The financial statements show between September 2012 and March 2013, Anderson repaid $440 and in the 12 months to March 31, 2014 he had repaid $1140.

Anderson said he was not paying Sevens with Altitude, he was paying the Ministry of Justice, but did not dispute the figure in the statements.

''I am paying back the Justice Department and it's up to the Justice Department to give their amounts as they see fit - so you need to do some more homework.

''I intend to pay it back - how I intend to pay it back is something I'll talk to the judge over, if need be, but I'm not going to give you any more information.''

A ministry spokesman said reparation payments were collected by the ministry's collection unit.

''Those payments are then passed, in full, to the victims ordered by the court to receive reparation, as has happened in this instance.''

Anderson was ordered to pay $20 a week initially, but lump sum payments were ordered following the sale of his personal vehicle; and, if necessary, the realisation of land in a family trust and funds from his interest in a business for sale at the time.

On Friday, a Ministry of Justice spokesman told the ODT the reparation deadline had not been met and the Queenstown District Court was ''considering further action''.

Anderson disputed that, claiming he was told he had until September 18 to make the full payment.

However, when contacted by the ODT on Monday the ministry stood by its initial statement.

Arrowtown Rugby Club president Simon Spark said Anderson had tried to reconnect with the club, but the committee decided it would be better for him not to be involved ''until, ironically, he had sorted [reparation]''.

The club was one of the beneficiaries of the annual sevens tournament.

''I suppose people are forgiving and bygones would have been bygones, but now it just drags it all back to the surface again,'' he said.

Mr Spark said, to his knowledge, the only group out of pocket was the Sevens committee.

Committee chairman Clark Frew declined to comment when contacted on Tuesday.

- Tracey Roxburgh and David Williams

 

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