Two men who worked for the Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) and ÅtÄkaro Ltd have pleaded not guilty to corruption charges brought by the Serious Fraud Office.
Gerard Anthony Gallagher (62) and Simon Carl Nikoloff (57) had sought name suppression, but the Christchurch High Court declined their applications. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges of ‘Corrupt use of official information’ under the Crimes Act.
The charges against the defendants are in relation to their conduct as employees of CERA and its successor company, ÅtÄkaro Ltd.
Mr Gallagher and Mr Nikoloff have been remanded on bail. They are due to next appear in the Christchurch High Court on 23 October. Their trial is scheduled to commence on 16 August 2021.