Gerard Peters, after the arrest this morning of his mother Serene at Auckland Airport, is the last remaining member of the Peters family charged by the Serious Fraud Office over $8.6m in mortgage and investment frauds yet to face the courts. Photo / Supplied

A fraud-accused pensioner who left New Zealand weeks before charges were laid against her by the Serious Fraud Office has been caught at Auckland Airport.

Serene Miranda Peters, 68, was arrested on arrival, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said in a statement.

The statement said she appeared at Manukau DistrictCourt this afternoon and was remanded on bail without plea.

Her next appearance is scheduled for August 24.

Serene is one of five members of the Peters family charged over various mortgage and fraud investment schemes by the SFO. She left New Zealand weeks before charges were filed in late 2023.

Her charge relates to claiming $1.8 million handed to her or her son’s companies would be invested in private banking facilities and covered by insurance issued by Lloyd’s of London.

There was no insurance, and the investor lost the transferred sum.

The SFO prosecution alleges a total of $8.6m of mortgage fraud and investment fraud was conducted between 2016 and 2018 across six Auckland properties.

The SFO investigation started after the Herald began investigating the case of the late Sandra Rosolowski, a North Shore pensioner whose dealings with the Peters family resulted in her living in a home that she was surprised to find she no longer owned.

The central figure in the prosecution, facing the most charges, is Serene’s son, Gerard Peters.

Gerard had also left New Zealand, departing shortly after police first began investigating the case in 2019. Courts have heard he has an active warrant issued for his arrest.

Heraldinvestigations suggest that some of his time abroad has been spent living in Zimbabwe.

Christopher Peters, another of Serene’s sons, pleaded guilty in the Auckland District Court in May to four charges of obtaining by deception over the fraudulent obtaining of $4.5m in mortgage finance and participation in the $1.8m investment fraud scheme.

He will be sentenced on October 30.

Robert Peters, who was due to be tried alongside his brother Chris, had charges against him dismissed in May.

Francis Peters, another son of Serene, pleaded guilty in April 2024 to four charges and was sentenced to nine months’ home detention. As a result of his conviction, he was later struck off the roll of barristers and solicitors.

Gur Raj Singh Bhachu, no relation to the Peters, pleaded guilty to 12 charges relating to four of the mortgage fraud schemes and was sentenced to nine months’ home detention in September 2025.

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