Ex real estate agent pleads not guilty to string of charges

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PHOTO: Aaron Drever. FILE

According to STUFF a once-banned real estate agent previously known as ‘The Voice of Speedway’ will defend charges he ran a chip shop business while still bankrupt.

Aaron Carl Drever entered not guilty pleas to six charges at the Auckland District Court on Tuesday morning, all relating to the affairs of a now-defunct chain of chip shops once owned by his partner.

Drever was bankrupted in 2019 after a failed attempt at running a gourmet supermarket in Mt Eden. The Grocer’s Market was liquidated after five months in business, and he was held personally liable for $488,000 of its debts after a judge said Drever “failed egregiously” in his role as director.

Previously, he’d been a prominent west Auckland real estate agent but lost his real estate licence for five years from 2016 after eight charges of either misconduct or unsatisfactory conduct, and lost a 2017 appeal for its reinstatement.

Disgraced agent Aaron Drever clashes with corporate giants over speedway logos

Drever had won various real estate agency awards for selling millions of dollars of West Auckland property, but when his licence was cancelled the REA said Drever was “unable or unwilling” to change and “the public needs to [be] protected from him”.

He was also a prominent figure in the world of speedway, where for many years he was the race caller at Western Springs speedway track.

After that, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment allege Drever was involved in running the fish and chip business without permission.

The Fish and Chippery had branches in Grey Lynn, Onehunga, Remuera, Birkenhead and Te Atatū but all have now closed.