ACC

Labour is still leaking out details of its proposals to clobber the economy with more taxes.

Just a two days after the Government reduced ACC levies and put more money in workers’ pockets – the tipline is hearing that Labour plans to hit those earning more than $150,000 with a top tax rate of 39 cents in the dollar.

That would raise about $220 million a year – well short of filling the hole that Labour has dug for itself with its reckless promises to spend more of other people’s money.

The problems with Labour soak the rich plans is that there are just not enough rich to soak.

Doctors are supposed to be smart people. Still, smart people sometimes do dumb things. Dr Peter Jansen, a sensitive claims clinician at ACC has made a silly mistake. He listened to his equally dumb lawyers and decided to try to sue, for defamation, a blogger, who like me is probably quite mad.

He should have researched the Streisand Effect. If he hasn’t already he should do so now.

The Streisand effect is a primarily online phenomenon in which an attempt to hide or remove a piece of information has the unintended consequence of publicizing the information more widely.

That is precisely what Dr Peter Jansen has succeeded in doing. He has highlighted to the entire world a little read blog, one with less than a 100 readers a day. That blog as a result of all the media attention will now have literally thousands of readers trying to find out just exactly what Dr Peter Jansen is so sensitive about.

In this matter the man and his lawyers are fools.

He may and his expensive lawyers may think that:

All this as a result of a blog I posted, whereby I satirically referred to Mr Jansen having self diagnosed himself with DSM-CIP – (Completely Incompetent Prick) syndrome.

…is defamatory, and it probably is, but I have seen people called much worse, and have called people much worse. When you live a highly public existance, and Dr Jansen does, he comments on forums and speaks at public meetings then you have to take the bricks as well as the bouquets.

Much worse though is that he thought this could all be silenced. Worse is the publi relations disaster of being a seniro clinician int eh sensitive claims areas of ACC and then privately (now publicly) suing a sensitive claims ACC claimant.

All he has succeeded in doing is making more people aware that a single person thinks he has “DSM-CIP – (Completely Incompetent Prick) syndrome” and at the same probably limited his career prospects within ACC. People in high paid jobs with fancy titles and lots of letter after their names do tend to think they are better than others and like to use establishment cudgels to get what they want. In this case Dr Peter Jansen got the exact opposite of what he wanted.

There is one other rule or effect that Dr Peter Jansen should learn: NFWAB

Corrupt ACC property manager Malcolm Mason has copped it sweet, scoring only 11 months home detention for his part in a multi-million dollar rort of ACC. Hell, I’d do 11 months home detention for a million bucks.

Considering Malcolm Mason is reputedly the beneficiary of around $1m in ill gotten gains, it is clear that corruption does pay.  Ok his career prospects are not that great , but maybe one of the tight six will look after him.  Maybe Malcolm can be a telephone jockey for HotChilly and earn money on commission for selling HVAC units to home and business.  (Does HotChilly still do a heap of work for ACC??)

Maybe Malcolm could become a real estate agent for Rohan Hill at Bayleys?

Or maybe Lloyd Cundy will get Malcolm to do some work from home?

With charges for Greg Hutt still pending, we wonder what Malcolm could do for Greg Hutt – or are they no longer talking since Greg Hutt  lied to Malcolm Mason about the profit share that was to be split 50/50.

11 months home detention for significant corruption?  The courts are too soft on this white collar criminal.  At least he is ashamed of himself (but it was worth it eh Malcolm)  Now does the IRD have the balls to go after him?

The NBR likes to think they are better than all the rest. Several times though the blogging community has spanked them hard and as a result there is a certain amount of animosity. Still I guess the proof is in the pudding and in this case the pudding is readership. My blog has more readers a day than NBR has in a week. My readership is increasing and theirs is falling.

However it is just plain rude to follow the ACC corruption story a day behind this blogger, quote directly from this blog and not link. Also I am not just a “some commentators”, and only I have said “took one for the team” so using my name or website would have been common courtesy. Since NBR are being rude, I’ll be rude right back. Therefore as a punishment for not doing so I am going to publish their entire article that currently sits behind the paywall so everyone can see it. Next time provide a link or I’ll just keep doing this.

More to the ACC property fraud case than today’s conviction

A Serious Fraud Office statement today outlining the guilty plea of Malcolm David Mason on corruption charges has prompted accusations by some commentators that he “took one for the team.”

The SFO’s media statement refers to suppression orders made by the court prohibiting publication of names and facts that may reveal the identity of a second person facing charges of offering a bribe. The suppression orders also prevent publication of names of two other people involved in a peripheral way.

The suppression orders are subject to further hearings over the next few days and the SFO will oppose continued suppression.

Internet blog sites ran hot with speculation today.

Mason, 50, had worked at ACC for 32 years and at the time of his arrest was ACC’s national property manager. In late 2006 ACC wanted to replace some of its existing premises. Mr Mason passed details of ACC intentions to a property developer friend which allowed the developer to buy the site that Mr Mason subsequently recommended to his superiors as being suitable for the new branch. ACC agreed to lease the building and received a reward of $160,000 when the developer sold the building.

Mr Mason also admitted corruptly receiving a gift to the value of $9000, in the form of a business class trip to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, from a real estate agent in return for involving him in securing a long term lease for another ACC building.

The allegations have involved a wel known closeknit group of property players in Wellington.

The story broke in April after ACC reviewed the way the corporation had carried and leases and purchases of buildings. This culminated in the dismissal of Mason after a deal he was involved in prompted complaints by ACC Minister Nick Smith about high rentals that other tenants felt was too high for the area.

Sentencing will take place on March 15 in Wellington High Court.

I have blogged previously on the cabal of rorters associated with ACC.

Today one of them took one for the team.

ACC’s former national property manager has admitted he took a bribe worth $160,000, was given a $9000 Singapore holiday and corruptly disclosed information.

Malcolm David Mason, 50, of Miramar, this morning pleaded guilty to three charges of corruption and bribery charges at Wellington District Court.

He pleaded guilty to corruptly disclosing information about security officer listings, corruptly accepting a gift in the form of a Singapore holiday and accepting a bribe.

The charges relate to two buildings, one in Wellington and one in Whangarei where ACC are tenants.

Mason had also forwarded on a confidential email from the government to a businessman who could have profited from it.

He will be sentenced next month.

Hmmm…so who gave him the Singapore trip and the bribes, why aren’t they also before the courts.

I have just been advised that one of the tight six owns two companies that have been taken into receivership, though the details aren’t listed yet on the Companies Office records.

Paul Coffey of Alligator Security is tied up with the corruption and fraud at the ACC Property Office. Malcolm Mason supplied confidential information to Paul Coffey.  The roosters have come home to roost.   I suppose with no Malcolm Mason sending work the way of Paul Coffey and no Government Department including Alligator in their tenders for security work failure was almost guaranteed.   I wonder if the Black Mercedes has been re-possessed yet.  Any of the tight six who associated with Mason to give Paul Cornal Coffey of Oriental Bay (not for very much longer) any work would be akin to cuddling a leper.  No work and champagne lifestyle simply do not mix.  I wonder how business is for the other 5 in the tight six.

More to come on this story for sure. Wellington’s property community are squawking and the Whale’s tipline is humming.

I remember from the newspaper article a few weeks back that Malcolm Mason and a man afraid of his own name (but we all know it’s one of the tight six) were remanded until 14 Dec 2010. Has there been any update that readers are aware of? Nothing reported in the newspapers?

The tipline is ready and waiting.

Let’s eliminate corruption by giving the case plenty of sunlight – Maybe Rohan Hill, Director of Bayleys Commercial Wellington, Greg Hutt Hi-tech Interiors, Lloyd Cundy of Lace Bark, Luke Vodanovich of Thompson Vodanovich, Craig Gadsby of Hot Chilli , Giles Arlington, Architect and/or the other members of the tight six or close to the tight six can provide the information to the Whale as to what has happened. Was there a guilty plea? Did one of the tight six squeal to the SFO? Did the person afraid of their own name get up to some dirty tricks?

Which government department will ever deal with any of the tight six again? Has the IRD done an investigation into the ill-gotten gains (would you declare $160,000 ill-gotten income?)

More questions – what are the answers?

Since everyone else has taken leave of their senses to go have a cry, I’ll take up the debate. Seriously its rotten bad luck and all that, and terribly sad for 29 families but really to suspend discussions and daily life is really just sooky behaviour.

Now, let there be no more carping, mewling and whining from Labour about privatisation anymore. They have now embraced it. I think they announced this during the Pike River disaster in the hope it would fly under the radar. But for other sooky media, bloggers and politicians it just may well have. Rumour has it that Cunliffe had two speeches… one when the news was buried by other events, and another that didn’t signal any economic changes.

Labour will make bold changes to the economy including allowing public-private partnership for transport, considering an “inbound transactions tax” and allow private shareholders to own shares in subsidiaries of state owned enterprises, finance spokesman David Cunllffe said today.

In a speech to the Institute of Policy Studies in Wellington Mr Cunliffe said Labour would not go on a spending spree, but would reduce net debt and build a stronger capital base.

He said private equity in SOEs’ subsidiaries would not dilute taxpayer equity or lead to wholly or partially privatising the SOE.

In some respects this is a little strange because they pulled out of endorsing PPPs and now they are back in.

Predictably there are some upset pinkos which means this policy is actually a good one from Silent T.

It is good in the sense that it finally removes the scales from the eyes of Labour with regards to privatisation. No Right Turn points out the details behind the policy on privatisation.

Which is technically correct – instead we have a partially privatised subsidiary. But by permitting that, he effectively gives away the farm. To point out the obvious, Kiwibank is not an SOE, but a subsidiary of one (NZ Post). And this policy means he has no objection to selling it to rapacious Aussies. More generally, by allowing part-privatisation of SOE subsidiaries, he removes any grounds to prohibit it in the SOEs themselves. The result is to open up space for National to do exactly that.

Yep, good idea. Move ACC to be a subsidiary of an SOE. Kiwibank is already primed under Labour’s policy….I’m sure there are even more. Time to get cracking.

In fact make one big SOE…call it…oh I don’t know…something like…NZ Government Limited…then make all other departments subsidiaries of the new Super SOE….presto…and all under Labour’s cool new privatisation policy.

Then the government can post out share certificates in the all the new SOE subsidiaries and let people decide for themselves whether they want to maintain “their” investment in those SOE’s or sell them down.

Now that Clark has gone, New Zealand returns to its rightful place as a corruption-free country:

However that supposes that the dreamers at Transparency International actually left their offices in Wellington. It is farcical that they constantly give New Zealand a corruption rating so high. one wonders how they measure it or if they ever do actually leave their office.

I can point to numerous daily occurrences of corruption. The person who prepared that report must have his/her head in the sand.  Its rife.  The only problem is that most are so good at it, that they legalise what they are doing.  The others have their tracks covered for them and it all gets swept under the carpet before the proverbial hits the fan.  Try as I may no one wants to know or listen.

Here are but a few examples;

A recent tender proffered by a Government department with a specification for an item that is so tight that only one product int he world can actually meet that criteria. A quick search of the authorised agent for that product shows that the licence is held by a man and his wife with a 100 shares between them living on a boutique vineyard in Nelson. They are the sole representation and the contract is going to be for around USD$5.5 million. They have no infrastructure, no support systems or ability to support the product which is highly technical.

Another tender being let by the same organisation has just let it to a company that doesn’t and can’t manufacture one of the core components of the tender. This is a consumable item that will be let for 5 years and worth again several million dollars over the lifetime of the contract.

I blogged about corruption at ACC, that has largely been swept under the carpet but is still going on. Just slightly different players.

Then there is the major government organisation that has an essential piece of equipment supplied by a company in Brisbane, with zero representation in New Zealand, again like above, no support, no technical expertise.

How about the LAV purchase? If there wasn’t corruption involved with that process then I’m a screaming poof.

Winston Peters and NZ First joining Labour in nicking hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayers money, denying they did it, when caught, lying about it, then refusing to pay it back in the case of NZ First, and then also lying about their donations, breaching electoral law and lying to a parliamentary Privileges Committee and walking away scot-free. Corruption? Of course it was.

Then there is the case of the insolvency specialist that has a penchant for one particular type of business, just so happens to end up owning the new holding companies for those businesses which have a miraculous turn-around in turnover with no discernable movement in stock levels. Apparently the secondary property development market is booming.

And how about all the Toyota vans being stolen and having their engines ripped out on the quiet and shipped off to parts sandy.

I could go on and on and on about the corruption in New Zealand, but Transparency International doesn’t want to know, and neither does anyone else. I’ve come to the conclusion that those who should care are in on the lark themselves.

Oh I just bet I know who will win this tender.

Any point in tendering?

Meanwhile the SFO is stirring into action with all the alacrity of a sloth.

from behind NBR’s paywall (I wonder how that is going)

SFO still on trail of ACC property investigations
Chris Hutching | Tuesday July 20, 2010 – 07:27am

Property dealings at ACC are still in the sights of Serious Fraud Office investigators.

Chief executive Adam Feeley confirmed to NBR NZ Property Investor this week that that the investigation remained “live” and there were more interviews to be conducted before a decision is made to prosecute or not.

Most of the financial information had been analysed but there was still more work to be done and remaining interviews with a small number of people to be completed.

Mr Feeley expected that a decision on a prosecution would be made within a couple of months.

The Serious Fraud Office investigators have been investigating whether ACC was the victim of fraud or whether there were fraudulent aspects to the property dealings. But they were also weighing up whether information had been used in a corrupt way.

Hell, all they have to do is ask anyone in property in Wellington and they will point the SFO in the right direction.

Some internet blog sites had posted allegations about the property dealings based on the close knit professional and personal relationships of those involved. While such relationships are common in a small country, the SFO will be looking at whether proper processes have been followed such as obtaining independent valuations, tendering where appropriate, and how confidential information may have been used.

The information posted on some internet blog sites appeared to be “reasonably well informed”, according to Mr Feeley.

One of them purports to reveal a small group of people in regular contact who have been involved in leasing, sales and fit outs.
But the questions that involve the SFO are focusing on whether there was anything untoward in these dealings in terms of failure to obtain independent valuations or tenders, or the use of confidential information.

Blogsites? There is more than one Whale Oil Beef Hooked? “Reasonably well informed”….of course I am, pity the repeater behind the paywall couldn’t acknowledge where they got the story from….it sure as hell wasn’t from any effort on their part and some months after I outlined the cosy arrangements of property people and the ACC.

The story broke in April after ACC reviewed of the way the corporation had carried and leases and purchases of buildings. This culminated in the dismissal of a senior ACC official involved in a Nelson deal where ACC leased a property at 47 Collingwood Street. Concern had been raised with ACC Minister Nick Smith about the $346,320 annual rental that other retailers felt was too high for the area.

The site had been purchased during the property boom in 2007 by Wellington-based development company Lace Bark Corporate Trustee Number Two, associated with Lloyd Cundy, for a reported $1.2 million and post-development it was sold for $4.8 million to an investment company associated with former National MP Paul East.

Last week, Mr Cundy said he yet to be interviewed by anyone and had no comment. The web site for his company is no longer functioning and nor is another web site associated with another person allegedly involved in dealings with the group.

Rohan Hill of Bayleys in Wellington acknowledged he had been the subject of discussion and had taken legal advice over potentially defamatory information. He said he wanted the matter out in the open as soon as possible so everyone could move on.

Mr Hill said he had not been interviewed but declined to comment on whether he knew others who had been spoken to by the SFO.

Woohoo, another tosser who thinks he can threaten defamation. I wonder if Mr Rohan Hill would like me to start publishing the rest of the stuff I have on him and his pals. The websites that are spoken about were shut-down within 8 hours of my publishing the cosy arrangements between all the players in a multi-million dollar fraud that has been perpetrated against ACC for years. In Wellington especially, there is a closed shop for ACC work, it all would go to a select group of men who all share beach houses, golf clubs and cars. Who knows they might even share their missus’ so cosy are the arrangements. The best defense against a case of defamation is the truth….can’t wait.

I see too the NBR repeater says the story broke in April….forgot to mention who broke it though didn’t she.

Madeleine Flannagan has a shocking story about her treatment at the hands of ACC. The story is hauntingly like my battle with Fidelity Life.

The tactics are strikingly similar. Dodgy practitioners giving dodgy diagnosis to suit insurers. In her case a retired orthopedic surgeon by the name of Brian Otto. In my case it was three doctors in the pay of Fidelity Life, Dr Anthony Asteraidis, Prof. Des Gorman and Psychologist Ralf Schnabel. In both of our cases the reports of these charlatans bear no resemblance to reality and yet the insurance companies rely upon their dodgy medically un-supported diagnoses to get rid of troublesome clients.

It is high time that there was a parliamentary inquiry into the practices of all insurance companies in New Zealand, including ACC. the inquiry should focus on how insurance companies deal with long-term clients and their removal from their books, the processes used to remove them from the books.

A look through ACCForums should be enough to give any politician the colly-wobbles with how ACC and private insurers are operating here. To my mind their predatory practices are far worse than any action by Banks, and we have had inquiries in to them and their business activities.

The bright light of an inquiry should be focused on the insurance industry. Right now it is up to individuals to get the wherewithal together to sue them to bring them to account. The insurance companies know that few of their clients can afford to do this and so they keep on smashing people around.

The Insurance Ombudsmen has the threshold so low as to be useless, and before you can even get their you have to get the insurance company to declare that the issue is “deadlocked”. People’s lives re being dramatically affected. Worse still nearly all of these insurance companies are also offering up Kiwisaver accounts, with no declaration on where their substantial funds are being invested.

Lobby your MP for an investigation in to ACC and insurance companies.