Eric Watson legal woes: New Zealand businessman vows to fight SEC to the end
Embattled Kiwi businessman Eric Watson has shrugged off the latest rejection of his campaign to throw out a US insider trading case against him, vowing to continue defending himself and pursue further civil action.
This week, a New York court ruled against his bid to
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
War crimes allegation against African unit ‘nonsense'
Guy Percival. PHOTO: ODT FILES Waitaki's newest mayoral candidate has labelled claims he was involved in war crimes as "nonsense". Guy Percival, of Five Forks, announced his mayoral candidacy just days ago, including a biography that referred to serving with the Selous Scouts, a counter-insurgency unit, in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The special forces unit has previously been accused of killing civilians, various war crimes and being involved in the Rhodesian chemical weapons programme. But Mr Percival, who says he is the only New Zealander to have served in the unit, took to social media to defend himself against people criticising him for being part of the unit. "Those who have never served, and never likely too, should be very careful in having an unqualified opinion on those that have," Mr Percival posted. "Selous Scouts was a multi-racial regiment of the country's Defence Force; 75% were African, the balance European and mixed race. All were volunteers. The pride of serving with such an amazing group of incredible soldiers cannot be diminished by the ignorant comments from those who have limited knowledge or understanding. This will be my first and last comment on this site." A further post on the same site yesterday attracted more comments. "I think it's very sad that people make comment without knowing," Mr Percival told the ODT yesterday. "So, I just get very sensitive, and I think any soldier does, about his regiment, which has been ingloriously described. "Everyone liked to blame the Scouts for everything — and someone quoted The New York Times saying something about chemical warfare. We never had any of that nonsense," he said. "We were doing a job and, as I say, 75% of our unit was African soldiers who were actually incredible men and I'm very, very proud of my service as being the only Kiwi that ever served in that unit." Some people had said he should have left out his service from his mayoral bio, but he did not want to do that. "It's all over rover now ... but it is a very important part of my life." A 1994 Amnesty International report accused the unit of war crimes. However, there have been no official prosecutions of unit members for actions during the Rhodesian Bush War. The opposing Zimbabwean African Liberation Army, led at one point by future leader Robert Mugabe, has also been accused of actions amounting to war crimes under today's international law norms, including forced conscription of child soldiers. Like the Selous Scouts, there have been no formal prosecutions of Zala members. In 1980, then-president Mugabe granted amnesties to both sides of the conflict.
Scoop
11 hours ago
- Scoop
It's No Longer Illegal To Be A Proudly Violent Proud Boy
New Zealand has lifted the terrorist group designation from the extremist group the Proud Boys, sparking fears their members may resurface. It started as a fringe movement in the United States - a group of self-described "Western chauvinists" known as the Proud Boys. A bunch of them were jailed after the 6 January US election riots, and they have now been pardoned by President Trump. Their legacy of far-right extremism, violent rhetoric, and polarising influence has raised questions not just in American courtrooms but on Kiwi shores too. "They have been organising in New Zealand, although they deny that is the case," Stuff investigative journalist Paula Penfold tells The Detail. "Now, the terrorist designation that they were given [in New Zealand] in 2022 has been allowed to expire, and we don't yet know the reasons for that to have been allowed to happen, we don't yet know whether the Proud Boys are still active in New Zealand, but we think it's pretty important that our authorities should find out." Founded in 2016 by Gavin McInnes, the Proud Boys quickly gained notoriety for their involvement in violent street clashes, their role in the 6 January Capitol riots, and their unwavering embrace of conspiracy theories. While their presence in New Zealand has remained relatively low-key, Penfold - who has been investigating the group for several years - says their ideology has crossed borders with concerning implications. "We had been working with a researcher of the Far Right who had been compiling a dossier of people he believed had been sympathising and identifying with the Proud Boys for several years by then, going back to around 2019. "They had been making posts on social media, which were anti-Muslim, and racist, and misogynistic, and were promoting gun culture. "They had come up with their own New Zealand Proud Boys insignia. They would attend anti-immigration rallies, wearing the distinctive black and yellow polo shirts of the Proud Boys that they wear in America. "And they would post on social media, in New Zealand, quite openly at that stage, using the term 'uhuru', which is a Swahili word for freedom that they had co-opted, the Proud Boys, and they would photograph themselves doing the 'okay white power' symbol. And they were reasonably open about it." She says the 15 March terrorist used that same "okay white power" symbol in court, before he was convicted of killing 51 people in two mosques in Christchurch in 2019. But when Penfold questioned the Kiwi men online about their ties to the Proud Boys, she was met with quick denials. "They were dismissive. They said they were just a group of friends. Although they did admit at their height, a leader had been in contact with the founder Gavin McInnes in the States, but they denied they were doing anything other than going drinking, and shooting, and hanging out, just as a bunch of mates, a fraternity." Then, in 2022, the New Zealand government took a bold stance, listing the Proud Boys as a terrorist entity, a move that made global headlines and was praised by anti-extremism campaigners. "It was big news... and what it would mean in practice was that anyone who supported or funded or participated in Proud Boys actions here was committing a criminal act, imprisonable by up to seven years, so it was a big deal," Penfold says. But then last month, without any fanfare, the group slipped off the list of designated terrorist entities. The only statement on the move was released on the website of the New Zealand Gazette - the newspaper of the government. Penfold describes it as bland and brief. "The designation had been made under the Terrorism Suppression Act... and every three years that designation will expire unless the prime minister seeks to extend it." When asked why he didn't extend it, a response to Penfold from the prime minister's office "didn't specifically answer that", but she was told "the Proud Boys remain on the radar... and if any new information comes to hand, they will consider it." "Those who monitor terrorist organisations and far-right extremist groups... are really concerned at this step that the designation has been allowed to lapse", Penfold says. So as New Zealand grapples with the rise of conspiracy-fuelled protests and declining trust in democratic institutions, the Proud Boys' shadow, although faint, may still be felt. Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.
RNZ News
13 hours ago
- RNZ News
Finance Minister on tackling the cost of living crisis
life and society economy 21 minutes ago The Prime Minister has promised to take action in the coming months to tackle the cost of living crisis. Christopher Luxon has acknowledged it is still tough out there for too many kiwis and the government's focus is on unlocking economic growth. According to Stats NZ the price of food has gone up 4.4% in the last year. Electricity is up almost 9% and gas is up more than 15%. As of March last year house insurance was up almost 25 % and contents insurance up about 28%. This week figures from Centrix showed almost half a million people are behind on debt repayments. Finance Minister Nicola Willis spoke to Lisa Owen.
