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Former Immigration Minister Tuariki Delamere goes on trial in the High Court in Auckland today for fraud and forgery.
Delamere faces charges of using a forged document, using a document with intent to defraud, and dishonestly using a document.
The charges have been brought by the Serious Fraud Office, which alleges Delamere used holes in immigration policy to help Chinese business people settle in New Zealand.
The SFO alleges Delamere falsely told the Immigration Service that seven clients had each invested $1 million of their own money with a New Zealand company -- qualifying them for residency under the business migration category.
Instead, Delamere's Chinese business partner contributed the $1 million to New Zealand Golden Harvest, a company the pair had jointly set up, and the money was used seven times for seven different applications in a "money-go-round" involving the bank account of a Hong Kong company, Harvest International.
Delamere allegedly collected up to $100,000 in fees from each applicant.
His trial is set down for four weeks.
- NZPA
