Police are building a clearer picture of the events leading to the absconding of Phillip Smith.
The inquiry team has spoken to a number of people who interacted with Smith in the last few months, which has given a clearer picture of his state of mind. Police has also spoken to Mr Smith's lawyer today who confirmed he was representing his client.
A search warrant has been executed on a Palmerston North address where a number of items were taken away for examination. A search warrant was also executed on a safety deposit box in Auckland.
Police are also pursuing a number of avenues of inquiry involving banking and business records. These need to be further explored in depth to fully understand how they relate to Mr Smith's absconding.
Members of the public have also provided information and the inquiry team continues to ask anyone who believes they have information to contact police.
New Zealand Police liaison officer, Detective Superintendent Mike Pannett, has now arrived in Rio de Janeiro where he will begin co-ordinating with Brazilian authorities and act as liaison with the inquiry team.
Police continues to work with a number of Government departments as part of the multi-agency focus on locating Mr Smith and establishing the exact details of how he came to abscond.
END
Media please note there will be no stand-up or interviews in relation to this update.
Police has received many media questions about the investigation. As is normal for an active investigation we will not answer questions about specific lines of inquiry, and we are unable to respond to questions on wider matters which are currently under review.
Issued by:
Grant Ogilvie
PNHQ media team
021 191 0005