On The Death Of Allan Hubbard

I have not that much to say about the death of Allan Hubbard, because I didn't know the man. But the wreckage around South Canterbury Finance was plain for all to see. We will never know whether Hubbard was criminally culpable, but he was still clearly responsible for much of what transpired.

At 83, in failing health and facing a complex and lengthy fraud trial, it was never likely that Hubbard would see it through to the end of the legal processes he was mired in. But his death will leave nobody satisfied. His supporters will naturally grieve for him and the tarnished reputation he left, while the taxpayer has been denied the chance to seek justice for the hundreds of millions in bailout money South Canterbury Finance sucked up.

Hubbard wasn't a typical finance company operator, and he lived a frugal life right up until his death. The grim photograph of the crash that claimed his life shows he and his wife drove a small and modest car, rather than a late model high-end European vehicle. And he was generous to a fault. Some would say he was too generous with the money of others, while others continue to defend his good deeds and claim he was a decent man.

I hope that we, the taxpayer, get justice one day for the huge losses we have had to suffer. But that can wait until Hubbard's family and friends have had the opportunity to grieve properly.