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Consultant with ties to Tongan royal family wanted for arrest in SFO s iwi trust probe
22 Jan, 2021 04:00 PM
4 minutes to read
Wanted consultant Soane Ramanlal was a business associate of the late Tongan King George Tupou V, pictured in Wellington during 2011. Photo / Mark Mitchell
A consultant with links to the Tongan royal family has a warrant out for his arrest after being charged in a Serious Fraud Office investigation but is believed to no longer be in New Zealand.
Soane Ramanlal was charged by the SFO alongside prominent business and Te Arawa leader Roger Pikia last November after an investigation spanning years.
Court documents seen by
Stuff, allege Pikia conspired to obtain money from Tarit Holdings by deception by reaching an agreement to cut down trees at Eua Forest Tonga.
David White/Stuff
Roger Pikia appeared in court where he was remanded without plea. (File photo) Between February 2014 and December 2015, Pikia is alleged to have obtained $364,500 from Tarit by falsely representing his role in settlement negotiations. The SFO also alleges Pikia advised Tarit to enter into a contract with Ka Ora Ltd to buy shares for $400,000, without disclosing he would receive shares as a reward for securing the contract. The SFO further alleges Pikia, while acting as an agent of Tarit, corruptly offered to accept, or solicited, $150,000 as a reward for lending his support, as a board member, to the purchase of a Rotorua property.