DTNZ: Court of Appeal condemns Serious Fraud Office for unlawful practices in landmark ruling

In a scathing judgment the Court of Appeal has condemned the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) for its “unnecessary, unreasonable and oppressive” methods, marking a turning point for the embattled agency.

The ruling, released Friday, highlights indiscriminate and unlawful practices that have compromised investigations over the past decade and could reshape how the SFO operates.

Bryce Edwards: If the NZ First Foundation accused are not guilty, then who is?

It’s shocking that the accused in the NZ First Foundation trial were declared “not guilty” in the High Court today. But it’s not actually surprising.

There was always a strong chance that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) was not going to get a conviction over the machinations used to keep large donations to the New Zealand First party secret. The revelation of this scandal in 2020, and the trial over the last month, may well have proven that the Electoral Act was breached, but it was far from certain that the accused were guilty of what the authorities were charging them with.