One of the biggest benefits of having poker machines in pubs and clubs across Australia and New Zealand is that their profits are used to fund valuable community organizations. Unfortunately, there are some individuals that feel that they are unfairly entitled to that money, using underhanded methods to steal funding from these types of organizations.
According to a new report, former All Blacks player Lindsay Raki is one of these individuals. Until recently, it was all speculation; however, Raki was found guilty of 11 counts of theft this week. Auckland District Courts had enough evidence to prove that Raki had indeed stolen more than $300 000 from various pokie grant programs in New Zealand – a crime the player continues to deny.
Raki used two organizations to obtain money for himself via grants: Manurewa High School Rugby Academy and the Counties Manukau Youth Development Inc. As the financial controller for both organizations, he applied for grants between the years 2006 and 2008. After the money was granted to his organizations, Raki then deposited the money into his own bank account.
The groups that he represented never saw a dollar, and it was not until 2011 that Raki’s crimes were discovered. The Department of Internal Affairs found some discrepancies in financial documents that had been filed by the two organizations that Raki had worked for.
“The money involved in this case should have been distributed to the community, in particular to young people playing the national game of rugby," says Debbie Despard of the Department of Internal Affairs. "Every dollar that is misappropriated from pokie machine grants is a dollar that is not available to the community."
Raki’s defence team claimed that the evidence and testimonies against him were unreliable; however, Raki’s own witness were deemed by the court to be dishonest. In the end, he was found guilty and will face sentencing in April 2013.
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