The defendants in the National Party donations case have pleaded not guilty to charges brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO)

The SFO says four men entered their pleas today during their first appearance in the Auckland District Court.

The former National MP Jami-Lee Matenga Ross (34), who is now an Independent MP, and Yikun Zhang (48), and Shijia (Colin) Zheng (34) each face two charges of ‘Obtaining by deception’. Hengjia (Joe) Zheng (34) faces one charge of ‘Obtaining by deception’ under the Crimes Act and another of ‘Providing false or misleading information’ under the Serious Fraud Office Act.

The charges relate to donations paid to the National Party.

The defendants were remanded on bail to reappear in the Auckland District Court on 10 June.