WELLINGTON — Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley has been ordered by the country’s highest court to pay NZ$6.6 million plus interest as compensation for her role in the collapse of a construction company, a judgement released Friday said.
The liquidators of the company bought charges against Shipley and directors Richard Yan, Clive Tilby and Peter Gromm, arguing they had let the company operate in a way that created a risk of serious loss to creditors and took on debts that could not reasonably have been repaid. The Appeal Court had previously found that this was the case.
It stated Yan was most culpable and said he was responsible for the entire amount of compensation, with Shipley, Tilby and Gromm’s liabilities capped at NZ$6.6 million and interest each.