A senior Treasury official will not give evidence at the trial of three South Canterbury Finance employees due to concerns about delaying the trial.
Lachie McLeod, Edward Sullivan and Robert White are defending 18 fraud charges in the High Court in Timaru over the 2010 collapse of South Canterbury Finance.
The Crown wanted Dr Brian McCulloch to give evidence about the inclusion of South Canterbury Finance in the Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme.
The accused opposed Dr McCulloch's giving evidence because the Crown had initially said it wouldn't be calling on him.
In a judgement released on Monday, Justice Heath said Dr McCulloch's inclusion would significantly delay an already lengthy trial, without adding much new valuable information.
