Corrupt cops claim: Did crooked Auckland officer Vili Taukolo act alone?

Former police officer Vili Taukolo was paid tens of thousands of dollars to access sensitive material for organised criminals. Photo / Sam Hurley

A former Auckland cop who was a highly paid informant for the criminal underworld may not have acted alone.

The startling allegation, which has confused police, was included in a Parole Board report and suggests the constable was one of a number of corrupt cops dealing with classified material.

A blue on blue investigation had found Vili Taukolo was paid tens of thousands of dollars to access sensitive material for organised criminals, including about an operation involving a multi-million dollar Mexican drug deal, which included the South Island's largest meth bust.

The 31-year-old was prosecuted and sentenced to two years and two months' imprisonment last December after pleading guilty to accessing the police's national intelligence application system (NIA) for a dishonest purpose.

His case was a key reason for the creation of the National Integrity Unit this year, a dedicated police anti-corruption team, to investigate suspected crooked cops.

But in a case reminiscent of Martin Scorsese's The Departed, Taukolo may have been working with other deceitful officers or staff in New Zealand's police.

The stunning allegation was included in his first Parole Board decision from August, which has been released to the Herald.

It claims that after Taukolo accessed the NIA "he then provided that information to other police officers knowing it was likely to be used improperly and he also used the information to provide to criminal gangs".

The additional claim adds to Taukolo's known leaking of police intel to criminal networks, for which he was paid about $70,000.

Superintendent Karyn Malthus has said Taukolo acted alone in his corrupt activities. Photo / Greg Bowker

The statement about potentially more undiscovered corruption in the ranks also directly contradicts what Superintendent Karyn Malthus said after Taukolo's court case.

"I want to reassure the community that he acted alone and no other police officers were found to be involved," the Auckland City District Commander said.

"Police officers spent months analysing the information accessed by Mr Taukolo on NIA. The investigation was exhaustive."

When contacted by the Herald this week about the discrepancy, a spokesman said police maintained the investigation hadn't found any evidence that Taukolo's offending involved any other employees.

"Police are not aware of any information that Mr Taukolo provided information to other officers knowing it was likely to be used improperly, as suggested in the Parole Board decision."

However, the spokesman said police have sought further information from the Parole Board and will await a response before deciding whether any further investigation is required.

But police have refused to disclose to the Herald who exactly Taukolo was leaking the NIA information to.

"We know through our investigation that Mr Taukolo provided some information to third parties, however we won't be commenting further on specifics in relation to other individuals," a spokesman has earlier said.

Vili Taukolo was being paid by organised criminals to leak confidential information. Photo / Supplied

In the Parole Board's report, written by chairperson Sir Ron Young, Taukolo also emphasised his view that his offending arose from his loss of Christian faith and lack of participation in community and church activities.

"We did not find his explanations for his offending convincing at all," the board said, deciding to keep him behind bars.

Taukolo will see the Parole Board again in December. His final release date is February 2022.

After the court case, internal police papers released to the Herald under the Official Information Act also revealed "coercion [of police] is a common phenomenon".

The reports further proposed a review of processes and policy about information entered into the NIA.

Taukolo was using the computer system, which holds details about police inquiries, vehicles, locations, phone numbers and criminal histories, to disclose documents linked to active investigations.

He was eventually nicked after irregularities in his use of the NIA were discovered and led to an audit, which identified more than 20,0000 suspicious searches between November 2017 and March 2019.

Former constable Vili Taukolo leaves the Auckland District Court after a court ppearance. Photo / Michael Craig

Court documents also show Taukolo made NIA queries about 34 other police officers and viewed personal information about them such as their address, vehicles and "occurrences linked to them".

When police searched his home they found $30,000 of bundled cash in a bedroom drawer, while under his mattress were several NIA documents.

Taukolo, who graduated from police college at the end of 2016, resigned shortly after being charged.

Police have said the breaches, when discovered, were also reported to the Independent Police Conduct Authority.

Illegal use of the NIA, however, is not rare and Taukolo is one of several Kiwi police officers in recent years to be prosecuted over such offending.

In a civil case in the High Court, Taukolo was ordered to forfeit $80,000, which included his police pension.