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An Invercargill accountant struck off last year for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars has appeared in court.
Warren Dean Haggerty, 45, was struck off by the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants' disciplinary tribunal in December last year for embezzling more than $300,000 of clients' money over six years.
At the time, institute prosecutor Michael Reed QC said Haggerty, who admitted professional misconduct and was found guilty of a related charge of breaching the institute's code of ethics, had avoided jail only because of the assistance of his sister and brother-in-law.
But yesterday Haggerty appeared in court and admitted 54 charges including intent to launder money, using a document for pecuniary advantage and tax evasion. The charges related to offending between 2003 and 2006, The Southland Times reported.
The names of the businesses Haggerty had offended against were suppressed by Judge Brian Callaghan, while the amount of money involved had not been finalised.
Haggerty was remanded in custody to December 11 for sentence.
Prosecutor Sarah McKenzie said after court Haggerty had been employed at Invercargill accountancy firm Ward Wilson at the time of the offending.
She also confirmed the charges related to the same scam for which Haggerty was struck off.
- NZPA
