Charges dropped after 17-month investigation into harness racing

As reported by the NZ Herald, a significant police investigation into alleged race fixing in the harness racing industry has ended with the final charges being dropped, leaving those accused looking for answers and compensation.

Operation Inca was a 17-month investigation involving phone taps, bugged cars and hotel rooms, and police officers following harness racing drivers to race meetings.

It became public when 11 racing industry participants were arrested in September 2018, most charged with involvement in fixing the outcome of races.

But after Judge Michael Crosbie ruled the last two charges should be stayed, effectively dropped, in the Christchurch District Court on November 10, no race fixing or corruption has been proven.

Other similar or related charges were also dropped last year after lengthy delays.

Most of the 11 people charged have interim name suppression and are applying for that to become permanent.

The fizzling-out of the cases is a far cry from the blaze of publicity when arrests were made around Canterbury in September 2018, citing widespread corruption in the harness racing code.

Harness racing, known by many as trotting, is the smaller of the two horse racing codes in New Zealand and mainly run separately from the larger thoroughbred code.

Some of harness racing’s most successful horsepeople were among those arrested, while many others were questioned by police – but none have been found guilty of race fixing or any form of corruption involving racing.

There were admissions of recreational drug use after evidence of that was also scooped up in the Operation Inca net but that resulted in guilty pleas and, being of a minor nature, diversion was granted.

Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) bosses are awaiting Judge Crosbie’s written findings, scheduled for February.

“HRNZ is still waiting for official confirmation that Operation Inca has come to an end and that charges have been dropped. We are currently seeking that information and confirmation,” says HRNZ chief operating officer Mauro Barsi.

To read the full story, click here.

by Michael Guerin, republished from NZ Herald