ALLEGED BRIBERY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 February 1942, Page 3

ALLEGED BRIBERY

MANIPULATION CHARGES BALLOT CARD CASES. SENTENCES OF IMPRISONMENT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The series of charges of manipulation of ballot cards to prevent reservists being called up in ballots, and of bribery by reservists to enable them to escape being called up till the final ballot, culminated in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, yesterday. Two further charges of bribery were heard. Henry Joseph August Berthold, clerk in the National Service Department, who had pleaded guilty to seven charges of manipulating ballot cards, was sentenced to . three months’ imprisonment with hard labour on the first four charges and convicted and discharged on the others. On bribery charges, three accused were sentenced to three months’ hard labour, and one to one month. -The first case heard yesterday was against Frank Brendon Diederich, commission agent, who was charged that on June 30, 1940, at Wellington, he offered a bribe to Berthold, with intent to influence Berthold in the exercise of his duties under the National Service Emergency Regulations, 1940. Mr H. R. Biss conducted the prosecution for the Crown, and Dr. O. C. Mazengarb appeared for accused, who pleaded not guilty. Berthold, the chief witness for the Crown, repudiated the statement he had made to the police, and, on the application of Mr Biss, was declared a hostile witness.

Witness said that he had borrowed sums from Diederich at different times, and also had had betting transactions with him. Accused refused to have anything to do with the suggestions made to him by witness to have his card withdrawn from ‘the register.

In reply to Dr. Mazengarb, witness admitted that he had gone to Diederich, and suggested that for a payment of £5O he could remove him into Class 4, but Diederich again refused to have anything to do with the suggestion. After hearing the evidence, the magistrate (Mr J. L. Stout) agreed that the case should be dismissed, though there was grave suspicion. John Lamont Howard, on two charges of bribery and one charge of failing to report for service, was sentenced to three months’ hard labour on the bribery charges, and was convicted and discharged on the other charge. Hubert Edward Howard, on a charge of bribery, was sentenced to three months’ hard labour, and a. like sentence was passed on Francis Joseph Dwyer, hotel manager, Wellington, on a similar charge. Edgar Hugh Sharp was sentenced to one month’s hard labour on a chaige of bribery. Mr J. A. Scott applied for leave to appeal on behalf of H. E. Howard, and Mr F. W. Ongley applied to appeal on behalf of Dwyer. Both applications were granted by the magistrate, the fee being fixed at 10 guineas.