NSW ICAC Operation Spicer Hearings Week One August 2014 - witness list cheat sheet

OPERATION SPICER PUBLIC INQUIRY

WITNESS LIST FOR WEEK COMMENCING

4 AUGUST 2014

Wednesday, 6 August 2014

Rodney Bosman – former Regional Manager - Western Sydney at Liberal Party of Australia (NSW Division), ran the NSW Liberal Party's Hunter and Central Coast campaigns for the 2011 state election

Brien Cornwell – father of Andrew Cornwell, local property developer and a volunteer on Liberal MP Tim Owen's election campaign

Thursday, 7 August 2014

Andrew Cornwell – NSW Liberal MP for Charlestown, NSW Government Whip and former Liberal Party Newcastle branch president

Samantha Brookes – wife of Andrew Cornell and an executive officer at Newcastle University

Robin Beaven – president of the Charlestown branch of the Liberal Party

Friday, 8 August 2014

Luke Grant – radio announcer and on Newcastle Liberal MP Tim Owen's election campaign staff in 2011

Joshua Hodges – former Port Stephens councillor and member Newcastle Liberal MP Tim Owen's election campaign team

Eric Hansen – reported to be the owner of a screen-printing business that Tim Owen’s election campaign used

Shane Burrell – co-founder of Mezzanine Media

NSW ICAC finds Obeid, Tripodi, Dunn engaged in corrupt conduct

NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption media release 5 June 2014:

 Findings of corrupt conduct

Operation Cabot

The ICAC found that Edward Obeid Sr engaged in corrupt conduct by misusing his position as a member of Parliament (MP) to benefit his family's financial interests by improperly influencing Steve Dunn, a senior bureaucrat formerly within the Department of Water and Energy (DWE) in the discharge of Mr Dunn's public official duties. The nature of the improper influence was that:

* Mr Dunn was to use his contacts at the DWE to seek information about water licences in the Bylong Valley for Edward Obeid Sr and to facilitate Edward Obeid Sr speaking with a DWE official to obtain further information about water licences affecting Cherrydale Park

* Mr Dunn was to use his position within NSW Maritime and his former position with the DWE to reassure the owner of Cherrydale Park, John Cherry, that there were no plans to place restrictions on  Cherrydale Park water licences so that Mr Cherry would not reduce the amount he would lend the Obeid family for the purchase of that property.

Edward Obeid Sr also engaged in corrupt conduct by misusing his position and influence as an MP to benefit his family's financial interests by engaging then DWE director-general Mark Duffy so that, in the carrying out his official functions, Mr Duffy would unwittingly fulfil Edward Obeid Sr's expectations that his financial interests with respect to the water licences affecting Cherrydale Park would be favoured.

Operation Meeka

The Commission found that Edward Obeid Sr engaged in corrupt conduct by misusing his position as an MP to further his own interests by arranging for finance minister Michael Costa to meet with businessmen Paul Dundon and Mitchell Corn for the purposes of them promoting Direct Health Solutions Pty Ltd (DHS) to the NSW Government so as to benefit DHS and without disclosing the Obeid family's financial interest in DHS.

Operation Cyrus

The Commission that the Hon Edward Obeid engaged in corrupt conduct by misusing his position as an MP:

* in about 2000 to make representations to minister the Hon Carl Scully that Mr Scully should benefit Circular Quay leaseholders by ensuring they were offered new leases with five-year terms and options for renewal for five years at a time when Mr Obeid was influenced in making the representations by knowing that Circular Quay leaseholders had donated $50,000 to the Australian Labor Party as payment for carrying out of what they understood to be a promise that their interests as leaseholders would be looked after by the government

* between 2003 and 2006 by making representations to ministers Michael Costs and the Hon Eric Roozendaal to change government policy to allow for direct negotiations for new leases with existing Circular Quay leaseholders rather than proceed with an open tender process and deliberately failing to disclose to them that his family had interests in Circular Quay leases and would benefit from such a change in policy

* to benefit his family's financial interests by making representations to the Hon Joseph Tripodi and Steve Dunn to pressure them to change government policy to allow for direct negotiations for new leases with existing Circular Quay leaseholders rather than proceed with an open tender process.

The ICAC found that Mr Tripodi engaged in corrupt conduct in 2007 by deliberately failing to disclose to his Cabinet colleagues his awareness of the Obeid family's financial interests in Circular Quay leases, knowing that those interests would benefit from Cabinet's endorsement of changes to the Maritime Authority of NSW's Commercial Lease Policy by effectively eliminating any material prospect of a public tender process for those leases and instead permitting direct negotiations for their Circular Quay tenancies.

The Commission found that Mr Dunn engaged in corrupt conduct in 2007 by using his public official position to benefit Mr Obeid and the Obeid family by effectively bringing about a change to the Commercial Lease Policy to allow for direct negotiations with existing Circular Quay leaseholders, knowing that the Obeid family's financial interests would benefit from the change in policy.

NSW ICAC Operation Spicer Week Two - running sheet and witness list outline

To date one NSW Premier has resigned, one NSW minister has resigned and been suspended from the Liberal Party, one NSW Minister has resigned, one NSW Liberal MLC has resigned from a parliamentary position and stood aside, two NSW MPs been suspended from the Liberal Party and one Liberal federal senator has stood aside, as a result of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Operation Credo and Operation Spicer investigations.

They are:

Barry O’Farrell - MP for Kur-ing-gai, former NSW Premier & Minister for Western Sydney until his resignation on 17 April 2014

Chris Hartcher - NSW MP for Terrigal, Minister for Resources and Energy, Minister for the Central Coast & Special Minister of State until 9 December 2013 and now suspended from the Liberal Party of Australia (NSW)

Mike Gallacher – NSW MLC and, NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services until his resignation on 2 May 2014

Marie Ficarra - Member of the NSW Legislative Council and, a former parliamentary secretary until 17 April 2014

Darren Webber – MP for Wyong now suspended from the Liberal Party of Australia (NSW)

Christopher Spence – MP for The Entrance now suspended from the Liberal Party of Australia (NSW)

Arthur Sinodinis - Federal Senator for NSW and Assistant Treasurer in the Abbott Government (not fulfilling assistant treasurer duties for the duration of the investigations)

Operation Spicer enters its second week today.

Operation Spicer is an investigation into:…whether, between April 2009 and April 2012, certain members of parliament including Christopher Hartcher, Darren Webber and Christopher Spence, along with others including Timothy Koelma and Raymond Carter, corruptly solicited, received, and concealed payments from various sources in return for certain members of parliament favouring the interests of those responsible for the payments.

The Commission is also examining whether, between December 2010 and November 2011, certain members of parliament, including those mentioned above, and others, including Raymond Carter, solicited, received and failed to disclose political donations from companies, including prohibited donors, contrary to the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981.

Further allegations include whether Eightbyfive, a business operated by Mr Koelma entered into agreements with each of a series of entities including Australian Water Holdings Pty Ltd (AWH), whereby each entity made regular payments to Eightbyfive, purportedly for the provision of media, public relations and other services and advice, in return for which Mr Hartcher favoured the interests of the respective entity.

The ICAC is also investigating the circumstances in which false allegations of corruption were made against senior SWC executives….

NSW ICAC Operation Spicer Witness List For Week Two:

Darren Williams - development manager at the Buildev Group and a sponsor of the Sydney-based Liberal Party associated entity The Millennium Forum in 2008

Troy Palmer - chief executive of Hunter Sports Group, Chief Financial Officer of Patinack and a Buildev Group director

David Sharpe - one of the co-owners of Buildev

Nabil Gazal – Gazcorp director Sydney property developer

Nicholas Gazal – Gazcorp director Sydney property developer

Eric Koelma – brother to Tim Koelma creator of the ‘slush fund’ corporation, Eightbyfive

Grahame Young - CEO of Tesrol property group

Gary Bonaccorso – Sydney property developer
Doug Sneddon - planning consultant

Anthony Bandle – trustee of Liberal and National Parties’ Canberra-based associated entity Free Enterprise Foundation 

John Abel – NSW Liberal Party member and factional identity within the party
Tony Merhi - property developer and alleged Liberal Party donor
Marie Ficarra - Member of the NSW Legislative Council and, a former parliamentary secretary until 17 April 2014
Peter McConnell - former chief of staff to former NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell

Nick Di Girolamo - Liberal Party fundraiser, managing partner at Colin Biggers & Paisley until February 2007 after which he joined Australian Water Holdings as CEO and shareholder

Removed from Week Two List:

Paul Nicolaou - principal fundraiser for the New South Wales Liberal Party and former chairman of the fundraising associated entity Millennium Forum

Arthur Sinodinos – Federal Liberal Party Senator for New South Wales and Assistant Treasurer (not performing the duties of an assistant treasurer for the duration of the investigations)

Mark Neeham - former State Director of the New South Wales Liberal Party

Simon McInnes - Finance Director of the New South Wales Liberal Party

This is the man who is using his media empire in support of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's bid to become Australian Prime Minister.....

Invading people’s privacy by listening to their voicemail is wrong. Paying police officers for information is wrong. This is why News International is co-operating fully with the police, whose job it is to see that justice is done. [Rupert Murdoch 2011]

"We're talking about payments for news tips from cops: that's been going on a hundred years, absolutely...But why are the police behaving in this way? It’s the biggest inquiry ever over next to nothing. " [Rupert Murdoch 2013]

US media mogul Rupert Murdoch mocks police and the investigation into News of the World telephone hacking.

Video at http://www.channel4.com/news/murdoch-rupert-tape-police-the-sun-journalists

According to Channel 4 3 July 2013:

Throughout the recording, which lasts about 45 minutes, the News Corp boss repeatedly accuses the police of incompetence - of being "unbelievably slow" he says at one point.

At another point, he said of the police that he didn't really trust anything they said.

But if he is contemptuous of the police, he also shows remarkable disdain for the offence they're investigating.

He belittles the corrupt payments issue. And for anyone convicted over it - the message is: he'll be there for them....

One of the clips starts, Channel 4 News understands, with the sound of Murdoch slapping the table.

"What they're doing, what they did to you, and how they treated people at [******], saying 'a couple of you come in for a cup of tea at four in the afternoon''," he says.

"You guys got thrown out of bed by gangs of cops at six in the morning, and I'm just as annoyed as you are."

"It would be nice to hit back when we can", one journalist suggests later in the meeting.

"We will", replies Mr Murdoch. "We will".

Further extracts here and here.

Tom Watson a Member of the House of Commons UK sent this Letter to Senator Rockefeller:

July 4th, 2013

Senator John D. Rockefeller IV

Chairman

United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

Washington

DC 20510-6125

USA

Dear Sir

I am writing to you by virtue of your role as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation and this Committee’s interest in the conduct of News Corporation.  I am also copying this letter to Senator Patrick Leahy in his capacity as Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary which I understand oversees matters relating to the Foreign and Corrupt Practices Act.

I attach to this letter a transcript of a meeting that took place earlier this year in the offices of News International Limited, a subsidiary of News Corporation.  The meeting records the exchanges between Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corporation, and employees who had been arrested or were otherwise under investigation by the UK Metropolitan Police.  As you will be aware this police force has been investigating alleged criminal conduct by News International (or its subsidiary News Group Newspapers) employees relating to phone hacking and corrupt payments by journalists to public officials.

The transcript reveals Mr Murdoch’s approach to the alleged criminality within his organisation. It also reveals how his employees claim that they were simply doing what was expected of them and that they had continued a practice of paying public officials that had been going on for decades.  Mr Murdoch’s replies, in my view, demonstrate a significant level of knowledge of the practice and a shocking contempt for the police investigation into it.  Perhaps even more sinister is his confirmation that his organisation will “hit back” at the police because of their investigation.

No doubt you will read the entire transcript and come to your own conclusions.

It has been my view from the outset that the most senior executives within News Corporation should be held responsible and called to account for the wrongdoing of the UK journalists and other employees of its subsidiaries.  It is Rupert Murdoch who is most responsible for the culture in his organisation. We now know more of his attitude towards, and knowledge of, the culture of corruption in his UK newspapers (and, he alleges, across his competitors) and his condemnation of the police’s attempts to route it out.  Having had this revealed, I would encourage the authorities both in the UK and US to ensure that their investigations into News Corporation are not inhibited in going to the very top, notwithstanding the power and influence wielded by Mr Murdoch.

If I can assist you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me.

The Guardian UK 6 July 2013:

DCI Laurence Smith told Exaro News that the police would seek a production order compelling it to disclose the recording if it did not do so voluntarily. It is understood the police have also approached Channel 4, which aired a small part of the recordings.

The development is the clearest indication yet that police in London are ready to examine Murdoch's private disclosures since the tapes emerged on Wednesday night. Murdoch is recorded saying the culture of paying police officers for stories "existed at every newspaper in Fleet Street. Long since forgotten. But absolutely."...

The press law campaign group Hacked Off on Friday urged the Commons culture, media and sport select committee to recall Murdoch, and said he "may have committed contempt of parliament". Evan Harris, the associate director of the group, wrote to the cross-party committee's chairman, John Whittingdale MP, saying: "There is a strong prima facie case that Mr Murdoch may have committed contempt of parliament by misleading your committee over his true response to the police investigations into phone hacking and bribery of public officials....

Why the College of St John the Evangelist at Sydney University needs to be dissolved now

An Act to Incorporate Saint John’s College as a College within the University of Sydney

(Assented to December 15th 1857)

Whereas considerable funds have been subscribed for the Institution and Endowment in the Archdiocese of Sydney of a Roman Catholic College within the University of Sydney, to be called “The College of Saint John the Evangelist” wherein the students shall receive systematic religious instruction and be brought up in the doctrines and discipline of the Roman Catholic Church, and provision be made for the residence of the Students and their preparation for the University Lectures and Examinations under Collegiate control. And whereas it is expedient that the said College should be incorporated: Be it therefore enacted by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same......

 

THE FICTION:

 

The College of St John the Evangelist:

 

Situated within the University of Sydney, the College has fostered the intellectual, spiritual, cultural, sporting and social pursuits of its student community since 1857. It is the oldest and most distinguished Australian University Catholic College….

 

under the direction of its Visitor, the Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney, (currently His Eminence George, Cardinal Pell) the College associates itself with the interests of the Australian Church and its mission, particularly by the fostering of appropriate academic directions in education, charity, social justice, ethics and environment.

 

Formal Dinner in the Great Hall

 

Cardinal George Pell in Our People 13 April 2008:

 

For why does St. John’s College exist if not in order to help its members to find the sweetest and most satisfying of pastures, or, as Jesus described it, “to have life to the full”?

 

The Eagle St John’s College Weekly Newsletter Semester One, Week Five, 1 April 2011:

 

older Johnsmen, many of whom have gone to a place even better than St John’s! Some you may know are current politicians, Tony Abbott, Joe Hockey and Frank Sartor;

 

Weekly Newsletter Semester One, Week One, 12 March 2012”

 

“If you accept this offer of a place [at St John’s College in 2012], you are choosing to become a part of a movement towards positive change.”

 

THE REALITY:

 

http://www.smh.com.au/national/tertiary-education/college-throws-out-30-students-20120310-1ur5h.html

 

Zoe Arnold in Mama Mia 21 March 2012:

 

“I don’t exactly remember the moment I realised life at St John’s College wasn’t for me. Maybe it was after witnessing the spectacle of flaming “man-ginas”, where brutish young Johnians would set alight their pubic hair in front of a bellowing, chanting crowd as some kind of test of their manhood. Maybe it was after watching the beautiful, heritage listed library being drowned in beer and then used as a slip ‘n’ slide as another drunken night in house got underway.

 

The Sydney Morning Herald  4 November 2012:

 

Eight months on, nothing has changed. Police have been called to investigate widespread vandalism including smashed windows and doors, furniture broken or set on fire, and graffiti. Faeces are routinely found in common areas and bedrooms. Every second Friday, the student committee has decreed that all Johnsmen not speak to any female students - who are known as ''Jets'': the term is an acronym for ''just excuse the slag''.

Freshers are still being forced into initiation rituals, including the consumption of toxic drinks. And some senior students are showing a cavalier disregard for the fallout from the poisoned girl's near-death, and have even printed T-shirts that celebrate the incident.

The college's honorary dean and a member of the college's executive have quit in disgust, with many former executives and existing students calling on Australia's highest-ranked Catholic, Sydney Archbishop George Pell, to intervene and ''rescue'' the 150-year-old institution from ''a crippling disease''.

University of Sydney honorary professor Roslyn Arnold said she quit the St John's executive this semester because she was ''ashamed to belong to such a group''.

''Anarchy has broken out and anarchy is not too strong a word,'' Professor Arnold said.

''An external review of the governance of the college needs to be conducted urgently because the fellows are responsible for what happens on campus … I've been in universities for almost 40 years and, to be quite frank, I've never seen anything like this.

''In the external world, the incidents taking place could be considered criminal. I believe Cardinal Pell is the person who is ultimately called if things spiral out of control and become really tricky. In my opinion, we are well past that stage.''

The college's honorary dean, Father Walter Fogarty, also resigned earlier this year after nine years of service as a fellow. He said: ''I lost confidence in where the council was going and am concerned about the dynamics of some of the old boys. There is a Peter Pan complex.''

The Sydney Morning Herald  4 November 2012:

 

The Sun-Herald understands the college's rector, Michael Bongers, will lose his job on Monday because of the strong stance he has taken against the ugly St John's culture.

It is the old Johnsmen who are the architects of the rector's pending downfall and responsible for the trouble at St John's.

It is these old Johnsmen who should be walking the plank - and their anachronistic ideas about the nobility of preserving obnoxious traditions. By condoning bad behaviour they have created a situation where the lunatics are running the asylum.

 

One of the alumni speakers on the night

Recent scenes at St John's College

The University of Sydney has tolerated this college for far too long. It needs to squarely face the situation and root out from its midst this culture of mindless brutality and misogyny so long condoned by the Catholic Church and Sydney Establishment.

ICAC concludes Operation Jarek and publishes report into corrupt conduct in local government and public authorities

 

In October 2011 the NSW Independent  Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) began an investigation into 110 local government and public authorities.

 

Ballina, Byron, Bellingen, Clarence Valley, Lismore and Tweed  councils were on ICAC’s list.

The Commission obtained evidence indicating that gifts in excess of $116,000, including gift vouchers totalling at least $64,380, were provided to public officials working for the majority of the 110 authorities over the period reviewed.

 

In a 29 October 2012 media release ICAC stated:

 

From the outset of the ICAC's investigation, it became apparent that the provision of incentives by businesses to public officials in NSW was widespread.

Given the sheer scale of the alleged corrupt conduct and the finite resources and time at the ICAC's disposal, the ICAC decided to focus its investigation on the conduct of employees of 15 of the 110 public authorities in NSW whose staff were alleged to have received gifts from suppliers.

These 15 public authorities, selected after assessing a number of factors including the value of the gifts received, were Ballina Shire Council, Bathurst Regional Council, Broken Hill City Council, Burwood Council, Byron Shire Council, the Council of the City of Botany Bay, the Council of the City of Sydney, Lithgow City Council, Liverpool City Council, Narrandera Shire Council, Orange City Council, the Roads and Traffic Authority, Walgett Shire Council, Waverley Council and Yass Valley Council.

 

ICAC’s 29 October 2012 Fact Sheet further stated:

 

The ICAC found that the following people engaged in corrupt conduct by receiving gifts and benefits from supplier companies as an inducement to continue placing orders with these companies or as a reward for placing orders with these companies: Glen Lapham of Ballina Shire Council, Graham Gibbons of Bathurst Regional Council, Anthony Harman of Broken Hill City Council, Ronita Tompsett of Burwood Council, Robert Vagne of Byron Shire Council, Donald Harris of the Council of the City of Botany Bay, Jeffrey Duncum, Edwin Roger Martin, Christopher Myers and Robert Nies of the Council of the City of Sydney, Steven McMurtrie and Lee Warner of Lithgow City Council, Maxwell Bancroft and Amjad Maaya of Liverpool City Council, Mathew Kelly of Narrandera Shire Council, Peter Evans and Peter Lewis of Orange City Council, Phillip Burnie of the Roads and Traffic Authority, Mark Ward of Walgett Shire Council, Scott Ingwersen and Peter Naidoo of Waverley Council, and Kerry Smith of Yass Valley Council.
 

More generally, the Operation Jarek Investigation Report (October 2012) found that:

 

In NSW, most local councils and public authorities have a code of conduct and a gift register. Many have a policy banning the receipt of gifts and provide training to their staff on this policy.

Despite this, the investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (“the Commission”) found that a large number of public officials across 110 agencies took gifts without declaring them, contrary to such policy and training.

The gifts accepted far exceeded any reasonable concept of token value, and included holidays, television sets, camcorders, DVD players, iPads, iPhones, coats and gift vouchers.

The Commission found that agencies generally focused on having rules in place around the acceptance of gifts, but did not consider corruption risks in the broader relationship between buyer and supplier, and the opportunity for corruption in their procurement and inventory management systems…..

 

The Commission has made 15 corruption prevention recommendations to all councils in NSW, as it is evident that the conduct uncovered in this investigation is systemic and all councils should take action to mitigate these risks.

While the recommendations are mainly aimed at local councils, the Commission considers that other public authorities can also learn from this investigation and they are encouraged to read this report and the recommendations contained herein.

 

Recommendation 1

That councils communicate to suppliers a clear set

of supplier behaviour expectations and the associated

consequences for non-compliance.

Recommendation 2

That councils develop a proactive and comprehensive

supplier engagement framework.

Recommendation 3

That councils review their codes and policies on gifts and

benefits to ensure they effectively communicate expected

behaviour in a way that the intended audience can easily

grasp.

Recommendation 4

That councils ensure that their policy provides that all staff

who hold financial delegations are prohibited from receiving

gifts of any kind.

Recommendation 5

That councils ensure that staff training on gifts has a focus

on the disciplinary consequences of accepting gifts.

Recommendation 6

That councils assess which of their staff members operate

in an environment where relational selling is commonplace,

and equip these staff members to recognise and respond to

these sales tactics, including the offer of gifts.

Recommendation 7

That councils, if they have not already done so, analyse

their procurement processes to identify points of

corruption risk and take steps to improve the design of their

procurement processes.

Recommendation 8

That councils, if they have not already done so, consider

introducing e-procurement as an efficient method of

controlling possible vulnerabilities in their system.

Recommendation 9

That councils, if they have not already done so, review

which reports are available to the managers of stores and

ensure they (councils) can generate a report showing the

orders placed by any individual across all cost centres.

Recommendation 10

That councils, if they have not already done so, analyse

inventory management systems with a view to improving

controls and reducing waste.

Recommendation 11

That councils examine options for control of their

pull-based inventory and implement an option that is

suitable for their operations.

Recommendation 12

That councils, if they have not already done so, organise

their stores so that all items are labelled clearly, stock is

securely stored and movement of all goods in or out of the

store is recorded on an integrated inventory management

system.

Recommendation 13

That councils ensure stocktakes are conducted

independently of store officers and by staff knowledgeable

about the principles of stocktaking.

Recommendation 14

That council management assesses the residual risk in its

store and, if appropriate for the organisation, conducts

random spot checks or cycle counts of select aspects of

inventory management.

Recommendation 15

That councils, if they have not already done so, consider

the risks highlighted by this report, namely,

• relational selling and gift giving

• procurement processes

• inventory management,

and, where they consider the council is at risk, add these

topics to their internal audit programs.

 

View full report

O'Farrell, Stoner, Cansdell, NSW DPP and Police set a dangerous precedent

The Daily Examiner 12 October 2012:

AN ASSOCIATE Professor of Law says the NSW Government's decision not to pursue charges against former Clarence MP Steve

Cansdell sets a dangerous precedent.

Associate Professor Sam Garkawe from the Southern Cross University School of Law said the outcome of the Cansdell case eroded the credibility of a statutory declaration as a legal document.

"I think it does set a very bad precedent and I would suspect the State and the Commonwealth will get their heads together to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again," he said.

"It seems as though he has got off on a technicality where he has wrongly signed a Commonwealth stat dec when he should have signed a NSW stat dec."

Assoc Prof Garkawe said without seeing all the evidence it was difficult to comment on specifics, but he believed Mr Cansdell had still committed an offence under Commonwealth law……

The Australian Wheat Board scandal continues to play out

After all the lies the Howard Government told, including Tony Abbott…….
BloombergBusinessweek 8th August 2012:
“MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A former managing director of an Australian wheat exporter has been fined 100,000 Australian dollars ($106,000) and banned from being a company director for two years for his role in paying $200 million in kickbacks to Iraq's former dictatorship under the discredited UN oil-for-food program. Andrew Lindberg, former head of the now defunct monopoly wheat exporter AWB Ltd., was sentenced Thursday for breaches of Australian corporate law. It was part of a plea deal with corporate regulator Australian Securities and Investments Commission that ends a case that began in 2007. Justice Ross Robson said Lindberg had failed to act "with the degree of care and diligence a reasonable person would exercise" in his role.”