Awatere Huata case all about greed, jury told

The fraud trial of former Act MP Donna Awatere Huata and her husband Wi Huata was all about greed, nothing more complicated than that, a jury was told today.

Awatere Huata and her husband Wi Huata are facing a total of seven charges, including fraud and attempting to pervert the course of justice, after the Crown claimed about $80,000 from the Government-funded Pipi Foundation was taken for personal use.

The trial began today before a jury of nine women and three men in Auckland District Court and is expected to last three weeks.

In his opening address Serious Fraud Office prosecutor Robert Fardell QC told the jury when that Awatere Huata set up the Pipi Foundation and transferred to it the rights for a reading programme the procedure was 'woefully inadequate" and that allowed the accused to create false documents.

Records, minutes and accounts were kept in an exercise book which had since disappeared.

Although she knew how vital it was to keep her distance from the trust's day to day activities she controlled the cheque book and sometimes personally cashed cheques although she initially denied that during an interview with the Serious Fraud Office.

Mr Fardell was expected to take the rest of the day to outline the case against the pair before the first prosecution witness was called.

The case is proceeding.Three months ago, the Supreme Court ordered Awatere Huata to pay $17,000 in costs following its earlier judgment that Act was allowed to expel her from the party.

The court ruled in November that Act could invoke party-hopping legislation to have her removed from Parliament, overturning a Court of Appeal decision.

The Legal Services Agency confirmed last week the couple would receive legal aid for their trial costs.

- NZPA