Source: Radio New Zealand
The SFO announced on Wednesday they had filed charges in the Auckland District Court against Alexander Breingan (file image). RNZ / Liu Chen
The Serious Fraud Office has filed more than 30 charges against a television producer in relation to more than $4.3 million in government-funded rebates and $10m in lending.
The SFO announced on Wednesday they had filed charges in the Auckland District Court against Alexander Breingan.
It is alleged he made false representations and used forged documents to obtain more than $4.3m in government-funded rebates and $10.2m in lending.
“The alleged offending relates to the financing of 13 television programmes that were produced, or proposed to be produced, by Mr Breingan through his Stripe Studios companies.
“This matter was referred to the SFO by the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) who raised concerns in relation to applications made on behalf of entities associated to Stripe Media for the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate.”
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The SFO said Breingan is residing overseas and was yet to appear in court.
New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) chief executive Annie Murray released a statement following the SFO’s announcement.
Murray said the NZFC welcomed and supported the developments.
“As NZFC publicly confirmed in November 2023, material provided by an applicant for the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate for New Zealand Productions (NZSPR – NZ) was investigated by NZFC and concerns were identified.
“Those concerns led NZFC to review previous applications from the same media group in which other concerns about the reliability of documents provided to NZFC in support of NZSPR – NZ applications were identified. These matters were immediately referred to the SFO.”
Murray said the commission co-operated fully with the SFO’s investigation.
“NZFC has long-established systems for the assessment of rebate and funding applications, including staged certifications, independent verification requirements, and audit mechanisms.
“These robust processes exist to protect public funds, ensure fairness for applicants, and maintain the integrity of New Zealand’s screen incentives.”
She said the “vast majority” of rebate applications proceeded without issue.
“This isolated matter does not reflect the broader performance of the rebate system.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
