Updated.
Fri, 6 Nov 2015 at 2:40 p.m.
Over an 11-year period, 152 vehicles were unaccounted for, while more than $100,000 was misappropriated on a council fuel card.
### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 16:21 05/11/2015 | 11:34 05/11/2015
No-one charged with $1.5m Dunedin council fraud case
By Hamish McNeilly
No-one will be charged with the $1.5 million Dunedin City Council Citifleet fraud, a final police report reveals. Dunedin Police have released the final report into the fraud, involving the theft of more than 150 council vehicles and misused fuel cards, after the earlier release of an investigation report to Fairfax Media. That report was reviewed by Detective Senior Sergeant Malcolm Inglis, who concluded there was “insufficient evidence to charge any of the purchasers of the vehicles with the offence of receiving”.
“No other charges have been identified.” –Police report
Deloitte interviewed 62 people in relation to the theft of the vehicles from the council and the “majority of those persons were council employees”, the police report said.
● The council was expected to release a response to the police report on Thursday afternoon.
Read more
ODT: Police review backs Citifleet decision
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 
What a surprise that the Police found “insufficient evidence” of receiving or any other complicity in this huge fraud. Not. Right from the outset it was as plain as a pikestaff that it would have been hugely embarrassing to a number of people if others were involved. And dear old Mr Plod always have this wonderful out to any charges being laid in that they can say that there was “insufficient evidence” or “may fail at trial” or “no real public interest”.
Let’s look at this situation. 150 plus cars get sold off at bargain prices with the proceeds going to one guy. Those that purchased the cars had a very good idea of market values, but like all hot property, it was desirable to get rid of the cars fast and for cash. That relied on purchasers being able to hock the cars off again for a little profit which it seems most of them did.
So much better to blame one guy that happens to be dead – problem solved. And so easy to simply claim on insurance – which puts up the rates – rather than attempt to recover the proceeds from an estate.
What has not yet been publicly revealed is just who in the DCC failed to note the lack of an asset register, who failed to notice the high turnover of cars, and finally who failed to notice any proceeds coming back to the DCC from over 150 cars.
Move right along, nothing to see here will be the essence of any DCC response.
I’m no mathematical genius but even I can work out that 150 vehicles involved in a $1.4 million fraud is just $9,200 per vehicle. And the police say it is not worth interviewing or charging any recipients. Then there is the fact $100,000 fuel over 11 years amounts to $9090pa. At $3 (generous) per litre that amounts to 3,030 litres pa.There had to be more than one dead man consumed that.
The only conclusion one can come to is that this has been shut down from within and the police get no glory out of this. Even the insurance is corrupt for paying out on this basis. It of course would only do that in the knowledge it can claw back in premiums inflated over subsequent years. Who says NZ is not corrupt?
Have you got the actual [redacted] report Elizabeth? Cheers, Lee
On 5/11/15 12:03 pm, “What if? Dunedin…” wrote:
> Elizabeth posted: ” Over an 11-year period, 152 vehicles were unaccounted for, > while more than $100,000 was misappropriated on a council fuel card. ### > Stuff.co.nz Last updated 11:34, November 5 2015 No-one charged with $1.5m > Dunedin council fraud case By Hami” >
Hamish McNeilly (Fairfax) will have it along with ODT. Checking now.
I guess the thing I don’t understand is that there’s ~150 people driving around town in cars that really belong to the DCC – why is this still happening? sure the people concerned might not be guilty of receiving but that doesn’t make the cars theirs – the DCC should be taking their cars back and the current owners should be suing the estate of the person who sold them the stolen cars.
A copy of the final police report on the Citifleet investigation has been requested (OIA); currently processing at Dunedin Central, police confirm. Report should be available on Monday for publication.