MoT staffer pleads guilty

A Ministry of Transport staff member who defrauded the government of $723,000 has pleaded guilty to the charges against her. Joanne Harrison, the former organisational development general manager at the Ministry, pled guilty to three representative charges of dishonesty using a document. According to documents, Harrison used invoices to pay entities linked to her. An investigation was launched by the Serious Fraud Officer in July this year, after Harrison left the country for Canada. She returned to New Zealand voluntarily to face charges in August and has been in custody since her arrest. Criminal Proceeds action has been taken in the High Court to recover the money Harrison took. The Ministry has declined to comment on the case while it is before the courts. Harrison will reappear in court in December.