Forensic accountants have a new income stream; challenging Police assessments of revenue earned as proceeds of crime.
Auckland-based chartered accountant Tina Payne was hired by cannabis dealer Nathan Worboys to contest Police estimates of his dealing, having admitted growing cannabis for sale since 2011.
He was busted in 2020 when Police were called to his Feilding rural address, responding to a family harm callout.
Police stumbled across more than one thousand cannabis plants, stocks of dried cannabis plus methamphetamine and $840,000 cash.
Liable to forfeiture under Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act were assets to the value of all revenue earned from dealing.
The High Court was told Police estimated he had made $1.6 million; a figure disputed by Worboys.
Ms Payne’s investigation of Worboy’s financial activities assessed an unlawful benefit of some $1.2 million; a figure $400,000 below Police estimates.
With these differing views headed to the High Court for a contested facts hearing, Police then accepted Ms Payne’s figure as being the more accurate.
The High Court approved an agreed out-of-court settlement with Worboys surrendering assets to the value of $1.2 million as proceeds of crime; payment sourced from the $840,000 cash seized earlier, plus $360,000 from sale of his Feilding home.
Commissioner of Police v. Worboys – High Court (17.02.26)
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