New Zealand’s lawyers and judges have established a legal and secret process to carry on money laundering. It's an important part of the national product.
They say that having that right is a matter of national “sovereignty”.
But industrial forms of money laundering, where drugs, child pornography, human trafficking and terrorism are concerned, are cross-border, global issues. Laundering, of the proceeds of domestic corruption as well as of international dirty money, is very profitable, and business lawyers have been keen to sign up, and the connections with overseas suppliers and launderers are very well established.
Because the New Zealand government supports the laundering processes, those procedures have been legalised. That presents great opportunities for profit to overseas lawyers as well as Kiwis. The sums of money and the profits are huge. Big law firms and banks are routinely found to be involved in the "laundromats", or established laundering systems.
For example, the developers of the legalised laundering system, particularly the hothouse of Victoria University, also known as Wellington University, have received “research” grants particularly from Herbert Smith Freehills, a cross-border commercial law company spanning the globe from London to Sydney.
Herbert Smith Freehills also gives payments to the University of Cambridge, where the most active New Zealand lawyers and judges have been hosted. In the case of Tony Smith, who has received direct personal benefits from the firm, he is still hosted by Gonville and Caius College, whose Master is a world expert in just the right field, Private International Law.
The University of Cambridge website used to carry the full version an interview with Tony Smith by Lesley Dingle, who works in its Squire Library. Sent to discuss his research with him, she gradually realised he had not done any and, as to his PhD, that he had “purchased it”. However, this record has been amended to take out the reference to Tony Smith's lack of research experience. It seems unlikely though that the University of Cambridge is unaware of the cuckoo in its nest.
The Master of Gonville and Caius College does not appear to have anything to say about Tony Smith’s manipulation of the New Zealand legal system except that it is a matter for New Zealand. She is strangely reticent about the huge success of their Life Fellow and former professor, who has recorded only the most basic academic and legal practice achievements but has drafted laws that make New Zealand a rogue state, but a very useful one for overseas criminals. Like so many New Zealand lawyers, those from the University of Cambridge appear to be ready to take the money and turn a blind eye.
It appears also that the authorities in the UK, as well as in New Zealand, are willing to help them have a lot to turn a blind eye to.
The UK has avoided scrutiny over its own laundering by the powerful European Union over its financial practices by leaving through Brexit. It can police itself, and report on itself to the international anti-money laundering authorities. The UK authorities, such as the Serious Fraud Office and the Financial Markets Authority, do not usually investigate laundering by lawyers. As with the New Zealand attitude to the covid vaccine, it is a matter of protecting their clients' business interests.
Tony Smith also maintains his position in the chambers of his pupil-master, Michael Tugendhat, at the 5 Raymond Buildings address in London, but without making any court appearances as a barrister. Like many other “old boys” of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, Michael Tugendhat is a judge. Leighton Associates have no issue with his published court decisions. It is the secret transactions that are troublesome as being illegal. We would not expect any lawyer or judge to publish illegal decisions in the UK, only in NZ where illegality is legal.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade put private business interests in laundering above their legal duties just as they did over Covid vaccines. They ensured that the treaty by which Parliament had exercised New Zealand’s sovereignty to commit to international efforts against illegal financial transactions ... went “missing”. Andrew Little and Stuart Nash held meetings to pretend to discuss the treaty. The cabinet was happy to hear publicly only about the things New Zealand didn't mind doing.
The corruption of the New Zealand foreign affairs machine is now an open secret. It should be no surprise to learn that UK lawyers want to get in on the action of legalised fraud and laundering.
The respective governments of the UK and New Zealand are now preparing to give UK lawyers direct access to the New Zealand laundering system, through a “free trade” agreement which will facilitate transfers of “dirty money” by UK lawyers. The Independent newspaper reported this specifically on 27 August:
That will enable New Zealand's laundering lawyers to sidestep problems such as that the UK Solicitors' Regulation Authority does not treat it as possible to legalise perverting the course of justice by agreeing to hide evidence. That rule has required launderers in New Zealand to give up their qualifications as lawyers in the UK.
With this free trade deal, it appears Kiwi lawyers will be able to take advantage of New Zealand's legalisation of laundering, but also that UK lawyers will also be able to use the New Zealand laundering system themselves.
Leighton Associates will be watching to see how far overseas lawyers come further into New Zealand to do business in "financial services", competing with our home-grown Kiwi launderers.