New Zealand Law Society - Gang (Richard) Chen struck off roll

Gang (Richard) Chen struck off roll

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Gang (Richard) Chen has been struck off the roll of barristers and solicitors by the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal.

The tribunal found one charge under section 241(d) of the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 to be proven, in that Mr Chen had been found guilty of an offence punishable by imprisonment which reflected on his fitness to practise and brought the profession into disrepute.

Mr Chen was found guilty by the High Court in June 2018 of 10 charges laid under the Crimes Act 1961 and Secret Commissions Act 1910.

The charges were laid by the Serious Fraud Office in relation to Mr Chen's role in a large-scale monetary fraud with two co-defendants against the Bank of New Zealand, ANZ Bank and a third unnamed bank.

Mr Chen's role included providing the banks with false passports, making false declarations, making false salary payments into bank accounts of loan applicants and corruptly paying secret commissions to employees of BNZ and ANZ.

He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment in August 2018, having been found by the High Court to be the "glue that held the fraudulent scheme together".

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