| Agencyname: | Serious Fraud Office |
| Nativename: | Te Tari Hara Tāware |
| Abbreviation: | SFO |
| Logocaption: | Logo of Serious Fraud Office |
| Formedyear: | 1990 |
| Budget: | (Total budget for 2019/20)[1] |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Constitution1: | Serious Fraud Office Act 1990 |
| Speciality1: | fraud |
| Speciality2: | corruption |
| Headquarters: | Level 8, 188 Quay Street, Auckland AUCKLAND 1010 [2] |
| Minister1name: | Hon Mark Mitchell |
| Minister1pfo: | Minister of Police |
| Chief1name: | Karen Chang |
| Chief1position: | chief executive and director |
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO; Māori: Te Tari Hara Tāware) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with detecting, investigating and prosecuting financial crimes, including corruption, of a serious and complex nature.
The SFO is New Zealand's lead law enforcement agency for investigating and prosecuting serious financial crime, including bribery and corruption. The Auckland-based agency has about 50 employees of which 90 percent perform front-line activities. It has statutory independence as operational decisions are made without ministerial direction. The agency is based upon its UK counterpart as established by the Serious Fraud Office Act 1990.[3] The SFO was established as a response to the collapse of the capital markets following the stock market crash in 1987.
Suspects questioned by the SFO have no right to silence and must answer questions and produce requested evidence, even if it incriminates them. However, evidence at an interview cannot be used against a suspect at his or her trial, unless he or she gives evidence which contradicts their SFO interview. Witnesses can also be required to answer questions under compulsion. Such interviews enable people with confidentiality agreements with clients to speak freely to the SFO without fear of retribution from their clients. These provisions do not override legal professional privilege.[4] Anyone who refuses to comply can be prosecuted and could be fined or jailed. Prosecutions are extremely rare and no one has been jailed for this offence.[5]
Since it was established in 1990, the Serious Fraud Office has had six directors. The following is a complete list:[6]
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=center | 1 | Charles Sturt | 1990–1997 | ||
| align=center | 2 | David Bradshaw | 1997–2007 | ||
| align=center | 3 | Grant Liddell | 2007–2009 | ||
| align=center | 4 | Adam Feeley | 2009–2012 | ||
| align=center | 5 | Julie Read | 2013–2022 | ||
| align=center | 6 | Karen Chang | 2022–present |
Bryan Bruce's 1995 documentary, Serious Fraud,[8] examined the SFO's investigations into white collar crime within New Zealand, and focused on three cases: Allan Hawkins,[9] Roger Curtis and Patrick Renshaw.[10]
The Labour government announced in September 2007 that the SFO would be replaced by a new Organised Crime Agency.[11]
However, the bill to disband the SFO was delayed by the 2008 general election, and the new Prime Minister John Key informed Parliament that the SFO would not be disbanded.[12]