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Dodgy Labor ratbag Craig Thomson arrested on 150 fraud charges

by Whaleoil on February 1, 2013

Dodgy former union boss Craig Thomson was arrested, charged with 150 counts of fraud and released on bail. Earlier in the day Julia Gillard announced the election date 8 months out….connected? Possibly but I think that Gillard won’t be able to last until September, she is too closely wedded to Thomson.

Federal MP Craig Thomson declined an offer to surrender himself before he was was arrested at his electorate office and charged with 150 fraud offences, police say.

Members of the NSW fraud squad on Thursday executed an arrest warrant on behalf of the Victorian Fraud and Extortion Squad.

Victorian detectives flew to Sydney this morning where they accompanied NSW police to Mr Thomson’s Central Coast electorate office. He was arrested about 1pm. 

The head of the NSW Fraud Squad, Detective Superintendent Col Dyson said that Mr Thomson was arrested on Thursday because he refused an invitation before Christmas to surrender himself.

”I believe that from reading the warrant he was invited to travel to Victoria to surrender himself prior to Christmas, he didn’t do that,” Supt Dyson told reporters.

Supt Dyson described Mr Thomson’s demeanor as calm: ”He’s accepted what’s been said to him, he hasn’t argued.”

Mr Thomson was bailed to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates Court on February 6.

“Every fibre of my being is screaming out to say how wrong this is,” he said outside the Wyong Local Court.

He said he would be “vigorously defending the charges”.

“As I have said from the start, I have done no wrongdoing,” he said.

The Victorian police have spent almost 18 months investigating claims that Mr Thomson improperly used Health Services Union funds to spend on prostitutes, air travel, entertainment and cash withdrawals in excess of $100,000.

This case and the ongoing corruption scandals within the union movement and the ALP in NSW are likely to massively impact the Federal ALP in the coming months.

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  • Gazzaw

    Whilst Abbot can’t raise specific issues about Thomson and the case in the run up to the election you can bet your bottom dollar that Gillard’s involvement in the whole dodgy union setup will be put under the microscope. I agree with WO – Gillard won’t last the distance.

  • http://twitter.com/Michael_Ellis72 Michael Ellis

    She will last based on Thomson’s vote. If she had a buffer she would have cast him loose months ago. A lesson for that other PM with a one vote majority.

  • Time For Accountability

    I hope for Epmus’sake they can explain why $6.8m disappears from their Financial statements as published on the Societies website between 31 March 2006 and 1 April 2006.

    The Epmu have publically stated that the published accounts were the sets presented to members at the respective Agm’s.

    Why was one set not audited?

    It is a catch 22 – either members were presented with incorrect accounts at the AGM’s or the EPMU have made a false declaration to the Socities register or simply prepared misleading accounts.

    Where do the NZICA auditors sit in this issue?
    Why are there some identical publication questions about the PPTA for the same period with the same auditor?

    Why did the NZICA CEO resign suddenly before XMAS when certain ethical questions were raised?

    Mr Andrew Little you attested to these Financial Statements . Please explain.

    • blokeintakapuna

      Nice work TFA…and WO…and the Owl..and the WO Army – keep holding their feet to the flames… and hopefully the SFO / AG / PM might start to comprehend the vast and wide ranging “most-likely” corruption going on with their “accounting”

      Hopefully the Truth will also keep up the pressure on the authorities to have them investigate the whiffy stench and see if they can find out anything of interest to the SFO / AG, because surely with this much smoke…

  • Captain Crab

    I reckon she called it early so she could try and trick Abbott into releasing his policies so she could use govt resources to bag them. I don’t think she knew he was going to be arrested- although he was asked before Xmas to surrender, but he didn’t.
    Thomson will have to resign now. It’s untenable he can work for his constituents whilst this is on. Even though a date has been set and Gillard may try to claim a by election is a waste of resources ,the convention ( set by the Speaker in 1946) means a by election has to be held because Thomsons constituents have to be represented and he can’t do that while fighting 150 (!) charges.
    Peter Slipper ( aka Mr Mussel) is also in the gun for fraud. He’s next to go.

    QED- Cam is right.
    I am so loving this- great sport

    • StupidDisqus

      the convention ( set by the Speaker in 1946) means a by election has to be held

      That’s the same set of conventions that meant Abbot won the last election.

      If you think Gillard will go quietly, you simply don’t know your Aussie unionists.

  • StupidDisqus

    Julia Gillard announced the election date 8 months out….connected?

    Absolutely. Because the election date is out, whatever happens from here on in, she’ll avoid a by-election. If she hadn’t announced the date, Labour would lose the by-election and then lose a confidence vote in the house.

    Then, just as Tony Abbot was giving his speech in reply to her announcement, Thomson gets himself arrested – guess what the headlines were. Clue: not Tony’s promise to demand a dissolution and election every day from now on; repeating his call for the openly corrupt Ms Gillard to stand down in the best interests of the country; and an absolute promise to rid Australia of Unions and their political parties, revisiting 1951 if necessary!

    Gillard has lasted this far after stealing the last two elections unconstitutionally – it’s absolutely clear she’s trying for three from three!

    • Captain Crab

      We are still outside the period when other by elections have been held before the general election.
      But too true that Gillard may ignore it. However the Regulations are pretty clear that in these circumstances Thomson should go

      • Captain Crab

        “The guiding principle in fixing the date of a by-election has always been to hold the election as early as possible so that the electors are not left without representation any longer than is necessary “(House of Representatives Practice).

        If a vacancy occurred in the next few weeks, it would be a stretch for the Speaker to deny the relevant voters a representative for over 7 months.

        • StupidDisqus

          it would be a stretch for the Speaker to deny the relevant voters a representative for over 7 months.

          yeah right. You really don’t get this do you?

          Australia needs another John Kerr – and another Menzies referendum – to end the scourge of corruption once and for all!

          • Captain Crab

            Of course I get it . Just pointing out the rules – which she will probably try to avoid. And it’s seats , not votes which counts

      • StupidDisqus

        However the Regulations are pretty clear

        by “Regulations” you mean “Conventions”.

        The same conventions that meant the largest party in parliament forms the government.

        Australians voted overwhelmingly for Tony Abbot’s coalition at the last election – and will do so again at this election. The coalition was the largest party in parliament. But thanks to Gillard’s unconstitutional illegal Gerrymander Australian’s just had three more years of Labor/Union government.

        What they’ve done once, they’ll no doubt do again.

    • cows4me

      Geez they’re cunning bastards. Always love it when politicians claim they are in the game to serve their constituents but once they get that taste of power they’re like trying to get barnacles off a hull when you want to be rid of them.

  • Dave

    Gilliard had no choice to call an election, she knows full well the knives of Labours right henchmen were out for her, in fact as she called the election date they were meeting to plan their announcement.

    then the Thomson HSU and many other union scandals, Kevin Rudd knocking on the door, Gilliard knew her days as PM were umber, so she outfoxed them all and named the Election date.

    She has also lost support from a lot of her own party and MP’s, it seems she did not tell them of the date prior to announcing it, but she did manage to tell support parties and those close to her.

    Thankfully, come September 14th, Goneski. If she had not of moved then, and was rolled, she would have been a 2 year PM. Just another Labour MP / PM looking after her own interests.

  • Patrick

    Australia is so different to NZ in many ways, over in Aus the Police actually investigate dodgy politicians, unlike NZ where they find a fraud has been committed but it is not in the public interest to pursue – aka Helen Clarke the renowned painter

    • StupidDisqus

      No to mention
      – the various ICACs with power to deal to Labor politicians and unionists (funny how it’s always the Labor poliies who are corrupt, isn’t it)
      – and cops who just get out there and shoot the crims

    • StupidDisqus

      And of course they came so damn close to declaring Labor & Unions unconstitutional — with any luck PM Tony Abbott will finally finish the job Menzies started (and that Howard, for all his many good points, did have the guts to try)

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