WASHINGTON: A former Ports of Auckland manager has pleaded not guilty to dishonesty charges over his use of invoices. Paul Wayne Bainbridge, 51, appeared this morning in the Auckland District Court, where he entered not guilty pleas through his lawyer to 50 charges of dishonestly using a document.
Co-accused Litia Vuniduvu, 36, also pleaded not guilty to the same charges this morning. Both Bainbridge and Vuniduvu, according to court documents, are accused of dishonestly using invoices. The alleged offending is said to have taken place between December 2013 and the start of last month.
Vuniduvu, according to court documents, lives in Parnell while Bainbridge resides in a Waitakere rest home with his parents. Both Bainbridge and Vuniduvu are due to reappear in court next February. In a separate civil case, Ports of Auckland last month successfully obtained freezing orders against Bainbridge, who recently resigned from a “managerial position” at the port. The frozen assets include the $1.8 million Greenlane home of Bainbridge’s former wife and their three children. The property is held in a family trust.
