NZ's Sunday Star-Times reported that Auditor-General's office has launched a wide-ranging inquiry at the request of Prime Minister Helen Clark. It will look at the "integrity and probity" of Immigration decision-making systems, processes and practices, especially within the Pacific Division, recruitment processes around Mary Anne Thompson, awareness and management of concerns around Thompson by the department and ministers and "situations that raise concerns about the integrity of senior staff". Assistant Auditor-General Wendy Venter said staff had only just finished acquainting themselves with "understanding the issues and how Immigration works" and had yet to begin "field work". There was no timeframe for the inquiry

Police are investigating claims that Thompson exaggerated her CV. At question is her claimed PhD from the London School of Economics. She is thought to have studied there, but the school has no record of her receiving a doctorate.

However, Labour Minister Trevor Mallard revealed last month that Thompson did not provide a CV when she applied for her Immigration job and no checks were made on her qualifications. Police say their inquiry is ongoing.

Sunday Star-Times 3 August 2008

RISQ Consuitling Services Managing Director Peter Callaway has been elected onto the Board of Regents for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). The Board of Regents sets standards to promote professionalism and ensure the reputation of the CFE credential. The term is for two years beginning in 2008. To read more please go to http://www.acfe.com/newsletters/fraud-examiner.asp?copy=feb08-new-regents

Sydney, Australia - 25 October 2007 - RISQ Group was last night awarded a spot in the BRW's Fast 100 list for 2007 at a function held in Sydney. The Fast 100 list recognises those Australian companies who have experienced significant growth over a period of time, and RISQ's inclusion in the list reflects the significant growth it has experienced over the last 2 years.

Guy Underwood, founder and CEO of RISQ, stated, "In the last 18 months we have opened offices in Melbourne, Singapore and New Zealand, and our team in Newcastle has had a 400% increase in terms of staff size. Having identified a niche in the market some five and half years ago for a professional services firm that specialises in providing high quality consulting and employment screening support, RISQ has grown into one the regions most significant fraud and security risk management companies, as well as Australia's largest privately owned screening operation."

The RISQ Group now consists of 5 companies operating in 3 countries and providing services including investigations; fraud and security risk management; whistleblower hotlines; training; employment screening and security vetting. Our clients are located all around the globe and cover a multitude of industries such as financial services, government, telecommunications and mining. To meet the demands of our international clients, we have multi-lingual staff who between them speak over 30 languages and who have knowledge of the various legal and regulatory regimes in which we operate.

According to Underwood, "Our growth can be attributed to a number of factors, including changes in legislation and a heightened awareness of security related issues. However, the two main reasons for RISQ's growth lie in the quality of our staff and management and our relationships with our clients who have supported us over the last five and half years."

On Wednesday, 23 illegal immigrants were arrested, charged of employing false security badges to work in crucial sections of O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, according to authorities. The individuals were employed by Ideal Staffing Solutions Inc., whose office manager and corporate secretary were arrested as well. The firm contracted work for carriers, including United Airlines, KLM, and Qantas. A large part of the investigation focused on the airport security badges provided by the Department of Aviation, with agents discovering that 110 of the 134 badges dispensed to Ideal Staffing employees did not match the people who possessed them.

Dow Jones Newswires (11/07/07)

In the beginning of June 2007 we opened our RISQ Asia office in Singapore to provide a range of services to our clients in the region, particularly in the areas of corporate investigations, due diligence, litigation support and crisis and security management. Michael Haughey spent seven years with Control Risks, where he was a Director and the Head of their operations for South and South-East Asia.

Michael is the Managing Director of our Asian operation and brings 24 years experience in the private and public sector, with over 15 years of that experience being in Asia.

Guy Underwood our CEO will be a guest speaker at the following forums:

Combating Corporate Fraud

2-Day Intensive Workshop - Facilitated by Guy Underwood

Topic: Building your Resistance Anti-Fraud Strategies to Strengthen Business Processes

Where: Kuala Lumpur, Park Royal Hotel Kuala Lumpur

When: 2, 3 June 2008

Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm

Conference: Compliance Risk & Compliance Control 16 - 18 June 2008

Cross-Industry Forum

Guy's Speaking Topic: Financial Crime Compliance - Minimising the effects of Anti-Money Laundering and counter Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF)

Date: 17 June 2008, 4.10pm

Location: The Grace Hotel, 77 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Register: jack.young@tonkincorporation.com

For any further information on the above events please contact Maria on 02 9392 8836.

As part of the continuous development and enhancement of our employment screening service, August 2007 saw the relocation of the Newcastle office of RISQ Screening Solutions Pty Limited to new, larger premises in Hamilton...

Managed by Leah Egginton as Manager of International Operations, our Newcastle office is totally focused on RISQ's employment screening service and in particular, this team is dedicated to meeting our increased client base of overseas multinational corporations. The Newcastle office is planning on inviting all local Hunter clients to a "launch" of our new office in the next month or so, possibly in October and invites will be extended shortly. Seats at our new office are quickly filling up with several new staff members joining our team throughout August and September, bringing with them a variety of backgrounds and language skills. We look forward to the opportunity to continue to service both our Hunter and International clients' employment screening needs from our new premises and thank our clients for all their support during this exciting time for RISQ.