The plot thickens
THE Australian Federal Police have begun a formal criminal investigation into allegations the federal parliament’s Speaker, Peter Slipper, misused taxi dockets.
Maybe they knew of this incident;
THE Finance Department accepted a $285 Cabcharge voucher for Peter Slipper that was processed using a card he had reported lost, had the wrong origin and destination and was initially thought to involve a trip undertaken in Queensland while the MP was overseas.Meanwhile, in downtown Sydney, Police are currently raiding HSU Headquarters and removing car loads of evidence.
Minutes ago, (at 9:18) police swooped on the Pitt Street offices of HSU East, the allegedly crooked branch run by Mr Williamson where he and Mr Thomson, when he was an HSU official, are claimed to have taken secret commissions from graphic designer John Gilleland.Maybe, just maybe, the public will finally know what happens in the seamy world of union gravy trains. Should do wonders for union membership. UPDATE: A report in The Age raises some questions;
Police raiding the Sydney offices of the Health Services Union (HSU) say they have major concerns that efforts have been made to interfere with their investigation. Detective Superintendent Col Dyson, Commander of the NSW Fraud and Cybercrime Squad, said that any interference may result in criminal charges. Police intercepted bags of documents that HSU personnel were attempting to take out of the HSU East branch building in Pitt Street, Sydney, this morning.Who tipped them off? UPDATE II THE union boss Michael Williamson has allegedly been caught attempting to take a bag of documents out of the HSU while a police raid occurs on the premises.
The head of the fraud squad, Detective Superintendent Colin Dyson, confirmed police were considering charging someone with attempting to hinder the investigation by removing information. The Daily Telegraph reported that the person is Mr Williamson. The documents he attempted to remove were seized by police. Mr Williamson is also a former National President of the Australian Labor Party.I wonder how Gillard’s feeling right now? UPDATE III Julia Gillard:
I think that there is a line which has been crossed here.Moving Forward:
The line is now conveniently marked with police tape.(From Catallaxy)
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With any kind of luck, now that there are professional investigators on the job, instead of Unfair Dismissal Defence Australia, we’ll see a result. The investigation will be hampered by disappearing documents and computers and refusals to be interviewed, now that there has been time to organise, but if that is the case then conspiracy matters may surface. Another angle is to of course have a taxation investigation of the main movers in this shemozzle. They then have to prove how they came by the assets located and the source of income enabling the purchase of those assets…..it may get very interesting by the conclusion of the saga. I wait with baited/bated breath.
I was playing around with google maps on the Telegraph site this morning.
One cab charge expense is on the corner of the Fitzroy Gardens, now as a citizen of Fisher, Peter Slipper’s electorate, I would really like to know what kind of representation and or government business he was conducting in the Fitzroy Gardens, in Melbourne 1000 kms away from his electorate.
Now as I come from Melbourne originally I am aware of the kind of funny business that used to be conducted in the Gardens.
Of course at 4-15 am he may have been visiting a dairy farmer voter, unlikely because there are no cows in the gardens or an early rising horticulture expert, I know he was not visiting Captain Cook’s cottage because it’s not open that early.
You know how it is John….you’re in this cab and as you go past the gardens you get “caught short”…..you stop the cab and get out…..you are so taken by the surroundings at 4.15 am in the morning that you decide to stay to await the rising of the sun and send the cabbie on his way with a small tip to compensate for cutting the journey short.
God, these tossers don’t even know which Jurisdiction is which.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-03/hsu-federal-court/3987842
and before Bobby 17 has a crack at me, my dear old Dad was General Duties at the Repat hospital in Melbourne, of course administrators are required.
If its a NSW Body then obviously NSW courts appoint NSW administraters, the issues are NSW issues.
All we need is for Shorten to hire Inspectors Gadget and Clouseau.