Former recruitment agency boss faces tax evasion charges

Friday, 29 November 2024

The boss of a bust recruitment agency, who started another agency just three hours after the original was liquidated, has appeared in court on tax evasion charges.

Cassandra Knox, the owner of now liquidated Trinity Employment Services Limited, appeared in the Christchurch District Court on Friday.

She is accused of aiding and abetting Elite Employment Limited to withhold a GST return for the periods ending July 31 and September 30, 2024, and to withhold tax for a purpose other than payment to Inland Revenue, court documents showed.

Knox has not entered pleas to the charges. She was remanded on bail and is due to reappear on December 20.

Knox registered Trinity Employment Services in February 2021. It was liquidated on May 30, owing $1.55m to Inland Revenue and $25,000 to employees.

She then registered Elite Employment two hours and 55 minutes after the liquidation, under her ex-husband’s surname, Slumskie.

Former staff of her original business spoke to The Press in August with claims of manipulation, an unhappy work environment, and late wages blamed on the bank.

Doubts were also raised about a commerce degree that Knox previously listed on her LinkedIn profile, as she did not appear in the Otago University graduate database.

The Press understands some Trinity staff who followed Knox to her new business, and previously spoke positively of her, have since resigned.

Knox won the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce Emerging Leader Award in 2022.