$29,000 frauds claim

Press, 14 May 1981, Page 5

$29,000 frauds claim

Frauds and forgeries over an 18-month period to obtain more than 529.000 in motor spirits refunds were alleged in the District Court yesterday in a hearing aga’inst a defendant of 143 charges.

The defendant. Harold Stephen Heperi. aged 41. a woodyard proprietor, has elected trial by jury on all charges. The hearing, in which 29 prosecution witnesses will be called, is before Messrs C. A. Pilgrim and D. F. Prestney. Justices of the Peace. The case, which will resume today, is scheduled to take three days. Among the ’witnesses to be called today is a police document examiner from Wellington who. the prosecutor (Sergeant G. C. Jones) said in his outline of the charges, had examined more than 4000 exhibits in relation to the case. Mr J. J. Brandts-Giesen appears for the defendant. The 143 charges comprise forgery, frauds, and using documents to obtain a pecuniary advantage. In his opening outline of the case Sergeant Jones said the charges arose out of 60 applications for motor spirits refunds. He said that between June. 1977. and December. 1980.

the defendant alleged that he had purchased 381.152 litres of petrol costing a minimum of $142,860. This petrol was all asserted to have been used for off-road purposes.

Such use attracted a refund of motor spirit duty and was payable in accordance with provisions of the Transport Act. Duty refunds are applied for on a quarterly basis by users, on an application form which sets out in detail the requirements of applicants to substantiate their eligibility for such claims.

Sergeant Jones said it was necessary for each applicant to satisfy the Post Office motor registration branch as to the bona fides of the amount of petrol claimed for in each form. This could be done by invoice, cash sale vouchers, or other approved methods.

The charges faced by the defendant arose out of his allegedly submitting 60 application forms to the motor registration branch which accepts and processes applications on behalf of the Ministry of Works and Development.

As a result of the 60 applications the ministry had paid $29,242 in refunds to the defendant. He had also sub-

mitted other applications for a further $6289 in refunds.

Evidence in the case would be that the defendant falsified each application form, by specifying an amount of petrol used for off-road purposes for the various quarters. He had ‘‘verified" the amounts by submitting cash sales vouchers amounting to the total litres shown on each application form. Sergeant Jones said evidence would also be shown that the supporting cash sales vouchers were not genuine and had all been forged by the defendant. It would show that the defendant “manufactured" cash sales dockets submitted with claim forms.

Sergeant Jones said that a number of cash sales vouchers submitted were genuine, but evidence would be given that petrol represented by the cash sales vouchers went to licensed vehicles operated by the defendant (private vehicles or business vehicles used on the road) and which did not attract a motor spirit refund.

Restitution of $29,242. alleged to have been fraudulently obtained by the defendant, would be sought, Sergent Jones said.