Swiss bank 'first’ claimed
PA Auckland A man facing seven charges of false pretence allegedly asserted that he was a millionaire with five university degrees and the first Maori to have a Swiss bank account, the district Court in Auckland heard yesterday. Rangiora Te Maari, aged 39. a beneficiary, of Manurewa, appeared before Messrs J. Jaffe and L. Warren, Justices of the Peace, on the second day of a preliminary hearing. Te Maari has elected trial by jury on the charges. He faces six charges that between January 13, 1982, and February 19, 1982, with intent to defraud by a false pretence, namely by falsely representing that he could obtain permanent residency in New Zealand for various people, h‘e obtained sums of money totalling $31,852. The seventh charge alleges that on January 8. 1981, by falsely representing: that he would deliver corned beef at a discount rate to the value of $9OO, he obtained from Shantilal Manilal the sum of $9OO.
Mr Ron Kumar, from whom Te Maari is charged with obtaining $672, said that he first met the defendant at a frined’s fruit shop on January 11. 1982. Mr Kumar had applied for permanent residency in New Zealand but was rejected and wished to re-apply. Mr Kumar said that Te Maari told him that he was a lawyer and an accountant with five university degrees, was d millionaire, and was the first Maori to have a Swiss bank account. Te Maari also said that he was a “very good friend" of an official in the Immigration Department and a nephew of Mr Ben Couch (the Minister for Police) Mr Kumar said. Te' Maari allegedly said that he could get permanent residency status for Mr'Ku l mar and his wife and would go through the right channels: Mr Kumar said that he flew to Wellington with Te Maari and another man also
seeking permanent residency. Mr Kumar said that on arrival in Wellington he was expecting a Government car to pick them up. “But Rangi (Te Maari) told us all the cars were busy and we would have to take a bus." They visited the Fijian High Commission, where Mr Kumar talked to an official. "Rangi was talking about his business and said he was one of the top sponsors for rock concerts and a former publicity manager for the Beatles, Mr Kumar said. Te Maari then took them to the Immigration Department, where he talked with a woman for about 45 minutes, Mr Kumar said. “He mentioned that he had rung up Aussie Malcom who was in Sydney at that time and we just had to wait for him to come back to sign the papers,” Mr Kumar said.
"Te Maari said that we should start regarding ourselves as Kiwis.”
Mr Kumar said that "things started going wrong” around the middle of February. when he received a letter from the Immigration Department reminding him that his permit expired on February 28, and that he should make arrangements to leave New Zealand with his wife and family. Mr Kumar said that he . had paid for his own return
air fare to Wellington, half of Te Maari's fare, plus a $3OO bond and expenses of $93. In cross-examination by the defence counsel, Mr K. I. Bullock, Mr. Kumar said that he had given the money to his friend, who owned the fruit shop, to give to Te Maari. Te Maari was remanded on bail to July 7 for the hearing to continue.
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Bibliographic details
Press, 5 June 1982, Page 6
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581Swiss bank 'first’ claimed Press, 5 June 1982, Page 6
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