Kenny arrives for conspiracy trial

Press, 11 August 1979, Page 6

Kenny arrives for conspiracy trial

PA Auckland The American businessman, Finbar Kenny, will face trial in the Cook Islands on Tuesday with one thought firmly in his mind: “Stay as far away from politics as you can.” Mr Kenny, whose New York-based Kenny Inter, national Corporation was this month fined 550,000 in Washington under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, said lin Auckland yesterday that : he would not talk to the former Cook Islands Premier, Sir Albert Henry, in Rarotonga. Mr Kenny arrived at Auckland yesterday morning from New York on his way to Rarotonga to voluntarily stand trial on a charge of conspiracy to defraud the Crown.

Also on trial will be Sir Albert: the former Finance Minister Geoffrey Arama Henry; the former Deputy Premier, Apenera Pera Short: the former Advocate-General Charles Maxwell Turner; the director of Mr Kenny’s Philatelic business in Rarotonga, James Joseph Warnell Little; and the Cook Islands Development Company, Ltd. All except Mr Little will appear before Mr Justice Beattie. Mr Little has elected trial by jury and the case against him will be heard after the main hearing. The main change and other charges under the Public Moneys Act relate to the chartering of aircraft to bring New Zealand-resident Cook Islanders to the Gen-

eral Election in Rarotonga last year. Mr Kenny, accompanied by Mrs Kenny, spent yesterday

afternoon “reviewing the situation” with his Auckland lawyer, Mr R. L. MacLaren. Asked whether the $337,000 he said in Washington woutd be paid to the Cook Islands Government had been handed over, Mr MacLaren said that payment would definitely be made. Mr Kenny said the money had been “sitting in the bank long enough.” Asked how he felt about returning to Rarotonga he said he wanted to see whether ant’ improvements had taken place there. Mr MacLaren said he had advised Mr Kenny not to talk to or meet Sir Albert. Mr Kenny described the | last year as slightly more (than difficult: “It has just ! reaffirmed something which | has always been my rule — ‘stay as far away from poli- * tics as you can.”