Known also as Mai Qu, former chartered accountant Luke Daniel Rivers surrendered one million dollars as part of a court approved proceeds of crime settlement after making false covid-19 wage subsidy applications. After telling the High Court his repayment proposal was, in part, intended to reduce the severity of a court sentence for fraud, he was subsequently sentenced to nearly six years imprisonment.
The High Court was told a wage subsidy audit uncovered his fraud. When claiming subsidies, Rivers described himself as a full-time employee while supposedly working simultaneously for multiple companies.
According to an Inland Revenue media release, he used as cover two separate identities, each with their own IRD number. One, using his given name of Mai Qu; the other, as Luke Daniel Rivers being the name he adopted by statutory declaration in 2004.
His fraudulent applications also claimed subsidies in names of supposed full-time employees for whom Inland Revenue holds no PAYE tax records. Other applications were in false names.
Just under $978,000 fraudulently obtained for covid-19 employee support was deposited to bank accounts controlled by Rivers. None was used to cover employee wages.
He transferred some of these funds to a Singapore bank account he controlled, but in the name of a fake identity.
As part of the agreed Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act settlement, Rivers agreed to repay extra, taking the total for repayment to one million dollars; to ‘demonstrate his remorse,’ Rivers said.
Approving the settlement, Justice O’Gorman gave Rivers one week to pay.
Failing that, Insolvency Service is to sell two Auckland properties controlled by Rivers, with any surplus returned to Rivers after deductions for mortgages secured over the properties and payment of the one million dollars being surrendered.
Commissioner of Police v. Rivers – High Court (30.07.25)
25.170