A former Serious Fraud Office boss has hit out at plans to meld the agency with police to create a new organised crime unit.
David Bradshaw says it defies logic to mix fighting financial fraud with cracking down on gangs.
He used to be New Zealand's point man on white collar crime, but now he has a point to make about plans to disband the Serious Fraud Office.
"Logically you don't disband your most effective law enforcement agency and reduce its powers to address serious or complex fraud under the guise of getting tough on organised crime", says Bradshaw.
Last September the government claimed morphing the SFO and police into a single crime agency would strengthen the fight against white collar and organised or gang crime.
On Thursday Bradshaw told parliament's law and order select committee that's simply not true.
"All that is changing is a very real reduction in the capacity to fight serious and complex fraud and hence to fight organised crime," says Bradshaw.
National says the government should listen to Bradshaw and call off scrapping the SFO.
"If indeed the period of time between now and the election doesn't allow the legislation to pass National will retain the SFO," says National's Simon Power.
Bradshaw does not hold out much hope. He says an agency he was once proud of, has been embroiled in politics.
"Either the Serious Fraud Office is to be a sacrificial lamb to show that something is tangible is happening in the fight against crime or alternatively there may be some hidden agenda which is yet to be revealed."
That strong criticism is unlikely though to influence the government's declared agenda.
