RORTS, SORTS, JUNKETS, BACKHANDERS, MAKE-WORK SCHEMES, AGENDA 21-DRIVEN IDEOLOGY, OVERSPENDING, DEBT FUNDING, LIES, CORRUPTION & FRAUD
Total immersion into “fraud-excellence” at DCC ….ain’t gonna clean up with belated classing, Grant.
The means to de/fraud is not a static thing.
And, the downright convenient use of white paint —what of that? About stadium DEBT, about DELTA (Luggate, Jacks Point, Noble Village), about CITIFLEET and CITIPARK, about Carisbrook, about years of UNDECLARED ratepayer subsidy to professional Otago Rugby (ORFU + Highlanders), about the black-tie dinner with Ms Mains benefitting firstly, about DVL/DVML (no good words to say), about the council-owned CST files and the merely indicative Screaming Orgasm cocktails, about Mosgiel-Taieri private wealth garnered with help from DCC planning decisions (with loss of HIGH CLASS SOILS), about the Town Hall redevelopment project, about City Forests, about AURORA, about the Representation Review, about consolidated council debt, about OVERexposure to the IRS market, about the conduct hearing, about the South Dunedin cycle network stuff-up, about the South Dunedin flood and blocked mud tanks, about the number of council staff, about the number of staff managers, about FULL RATEPAYER FUNDING of the proposed Mosgiel pool. The fairytale about lights for professional Cricket. The wreckless dependence on multipliers for PR/propaganda.
The distortions and coverups about everything we’re too lazy to type…..
On it goes.
Issue after sordid issue to take money OFF THE RATEPAYERS.
This without detailing frequent JUNKETS. Or mentioning GIGATOWN.
No wonder the effortless queasy media silence of the executive.
█ See tomorrow’s ODT about the ‘training’, shall we.
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 
For somebody too lazy to type you still covered most of the issues I have been battling Elizabeth. Well done! [we have been]
On 4/08/15 8:12 PM, “What if? Dunedin…” wrote:
> Elizabeth posted: “RORTS, SORTS, JUNKETS, BACKHANDERS, MAKE-WORK SCHEMES, > AGENDA 21-DRIVEN IDEOLOGY, OVERSPENDING, DEBT FUNDING, LIES & FRAUD Total > immersion into “fraud-excellence” at DCC ….ain’t gonna clean up with belated > classing, Grant. The means to de/fra” >
You can have all the training you like in detecting red flags, but if nothing is actually done to bring accountability all that training is just window dressing.
This has the effect of leaving people feeling cynical.
The council is more into raising white flags than pursuing red flags. The stadium process screams red flags and still nothing is done to investigate further and more than likely result in prosecution.
Courage and integrity is missing on council. Sitting on your chuff, turning a blind eye is not an option for something so immense as the stadium swindle. Makes flogging 150 plus cars a misdemeanour by comparison.
Now they are training them in fraudulent processes! Reminds me of the convention mentality in which council employees and councillors attend a local government conference to discover how to outwit, relieve and legislate practices designed to transfer wealth from those who earned it to those who are otherwise unemployable, DCC staff.
Or another anaology, send minor crims to prison to learn how to participate in major crime.
Surely when the DCC employs someone a degree of honesty should be a paramount requirement, should it not. Naïve persons should not be employed. A naïve employee is an opportunity for a crooked one to operate.
Closing off loopholes that allow fraud is one step, but we know those who are dishonest will always find other loopholes. That is why accountability is so important. The fear of being caught, and punished, must be intense for those who want to follow the fraud trail.
Training in detecting fraud. Great! But what’s the point when there is no retribution for those detected? Just another exercise in futility I would have thought. In today’s ODT letters one Heather Mason asks the questions regarding the lack of recovery from the known Citifleet fraud. It was responded to by group chief financial officer Grant McKenzie. He simply pushed it all under the carpet saying basically “move on, there’s nothing to see here.” His stance together with that of the CEO and Mayor is arguably the reason these events can and do occur. It’s simply not their money, so keep it sweet.
Calvin. That answer from McKenzie actually tells us quite a lot.
Insurers paid out $1 million towards the loss suffered as a result of the fraud.
People (plural) within the organisation have been held accountable.
There were no criminal prosecutions.
Who had the authority, and qualifications to decide that those held accountable would not face a judge and jury to decide their guilt or otherwise ?
This whole affair has left the smell of bile from a rotting carcase of corruption hanging over city hall, and won’t go away until those involved in the corruption are called to account.
Tony. The insurance is not a charitable institution, it will recover the $1million via “adjusted’ premiums in the future. It was always thus. Just look at the fallout insurance-wise of the Christchurch earthquakes. As for the the ‘rotting carcass of corruption’, well, that’s the way it is.
The over-riding culture within the DCC is NOT to hold people accountable that have been ripping ratepayers off. It is easy to see how this comes about – from the very highest governance in the DCC and all of its Council owned companies. The reaction is generally “we have all learned something, move right along” which was applied despite very clear millions of dollars going straight down the toilet in the DCC, Delta and goodness knows where else.
There is another strategy everyone in governance uses as well – “our advice from officials is it would cost more to prosecute than we would recover”. This is of course bullshit when a principle applies. Look no further than the ORFU libel case. Think for a moment what would have happened if Cull hadn’t caved in on that one – the whole mess of the ORFU rorts with the pokie industry would have been exposed in open court, the underhand, devious and long-running subsidy of professional rugby by the DCC would have come out – and of course a whole heap of “prominent” citizens would have been exposed for what they really are.
Time after time, Councillors have communicated that they are unwilling to hold people accountable and have used spineless techniques to have guilty people removed from their lucrative employment to move on to even more lucrative employment. But I suppose, what can you expect from most of them anyway?
Russandbev, “our advice from officials is it would cost more to prosecute than we would recover”. In the example you give of the ORFU libel case you point out the “plusses” for Dunedin ratepayers, such as that revelations of rorting and grubbiness would discourage throwing more money at professional rugby and facilities for its subsidised enjoyment. You omit the “minuses” though you mention “a whole heap of “prominent” citizens would have been exposed for what they really are”. And who, I wonder, donates to campaigns of candidates for mayoralty and council?
“Think for a moment what would have happened if Cull hadn’t caved in,” you say. I’m sure Cull thought about the probable consequences.
Supplied.
ODT 5.8.15 (page 12) – click to enlarge
Deloitte provides training for the council’s 750 full and part-time staff.
Total cost: $14,000.
### ODT Online Wed, 5 Aug 2015
DCC staff trained to spot fraud
By Chris Morris
Hundreds of Dunedin City Council staff have received fraud detection training, but more training is planned, as the organisation seeks to avoid any repeat of the Citifleet scandal. Council group chief financial officer Grant McKenzie said 257 staff had received training during four sessions held in recent weeks.
Read more
● [Just] One staff member had raised concerns…… [so very populous]
When is the next course scheduled, “Having spotted fraud, how to get something done about stopping it and prosecuting the fraudster(s)”?
Maybe a typo? For ‘fraud detection/prevention training’ read ‘fraud detection prevention training’. I keep on mis-hitting that pesky ‘/’ all the time myself.
I presume they didn’t pay for any air flights for their trainers, I’m sure they used their gigatown video conferencing right?
### ODT Online Wed, 5 Aug 2015
IRD mum on car profits tax liability
By Chris Morris on
Inland Revenue won’t say whether it is investigating profits made by key figures in the $1.5 million Citifleet fraud. That’s despite confirming any property obtained illegally, as well as that bought with the intention of resale for profit, could be covered by tax law.
Read more
Yeah, “could be covered by tax law”.
Anyone holding their breath, please don’t.
You know what “could be” means – don’t you?
Calvin’s point is a good one. Fraud Insurance is simply legalising the process by premiums. The targets of such fraud are not protected in the slightest as losses are recouped by premiums from those who are supposed to be ‘protected’ by such policies. For this reason the acquisition of ‘fraud insurance’ by any publicly funded body should be illegal.
I see John Campbell has got a new job with Radio NZ according to ODT today. He talks of RNZ’s role of holding people to account. The DCC should listen. When you have rorters over a barrel, you have got them even if they threaten legal action behind the scenes. Don’t blink.
We need more gutsy journos to push things along.
The rich and mighty do fall even with a largely vacuous media looking for the next sound bite. Even Heath is under question. Albeit posthumous.
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