The Qualifications Authority says it is likely criminal charges will be laid against a company accused of selling essays for university and polytechnic courses.
The authority appeared at the High Court in Auckland on Wednesday seeking an interim injunction against Ateama Limited, which runs the Assignment4U website, and Pengju Chen and Steven Quan Li, who run the company.
Lawyers for the two men told the court the website was taken down on Monday after a police search on Friday.
That means the company has effectively stopped operating, so the injunction hearing has been adjourned until September.
A lawyer for the Qualifications Authority, Anna Longdill, says a criminal investigation is continuing and charges are likely.
Ms Longdill says police seized about 10 computers and a room full of files and it will take some time to assess all the evidence.
