The Serious Fraud Office has confirmed it has launched an investigation into Zespri but the kiwifruit giant says it only found out it was being investigated through the media.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has opened a preliminary investigation, but the investigator will not say what it's looking at or indicate what powers the SFO had to compel Zespri to release information.
A SFO spokeswoman confirmed to the Bay of Plenty Times it was investigating but "there's a number of reasons why we can't clarify anything else at this stage".
A Zespri spokeswoman said the company did not know about the investigation until it was approached by the media.
"Zespri has not been contacted by the Serious Fraud Office and has no details of the scope or substance of an investigation. Zespri will co-operate with any investigation the Serious Fraud Office may undertake," the spokeswoman said.