Former New Zealand prime minister ordered to pay $3.9 million after company collapse

FILE PHOTO: Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley addresses party supporters as husband Burton looks on after conceding victory to the Labour Party leader Helen Clark in Methven, November 27, 1999./File Photo

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley has been ordered by the country’s highest court to pay NZ$6.6 million ($3.9 million) plus interest as compensation for her role in the collapse of a construction company, a judgement released Friday said.

Shipley was New Zealand’s first female prime minister holding the role from 1997 to 1999. She was chair of the board of construction firm Mainzeal when the company was placed in liquidation in 2013 after a number years of financial difficulty.