In a case brought by the Serious Fraud Office, Scutts was in
May found guilty of 16 charges of dishonestly using a document and one Secret
Commission Act charge of receiving secret reward for procuring contracts in his
former role as New Zealand Wine Company chief executive.
Scutts is the former boss of the Auckland Blues rugby
franchise and naturally came to Court armed with the mandatory references as to
his glowing character from the likes of Graham Henry.
It wasn’t enough for him though, crouching low in the dock
to hide as the guilty verdict was delivered.
As reported in the NBR Justice Mary Peters says she is
satisfied Scutts lied in his interview with the SFO when he denied handwriting
on particular invoices was his. He told the SFO his son Oliver had prepared
particular invoices, not him.
Seems like the perfect character to be running a Super Rugby franchise.
