Victorian Labor MPs face printing scam rort probe
The Victorian Parliament will probe allegations that Labor MPs were engaged in an elaborate scam rorting taxpayer funds from printing budgets to cover the registration fees of members recruited to a number of contentious seats.
Legislative Council president Bruce Atkinson said he had already launched an
internal audit {code for coverup }
into the matter, and said he would refer the issue to “external authorities” if necessary.
“If the article is accurate, then the allegations are deeply disturbing to me,” he said on Wednesday.
“If the allegations are true, they involve criminal actions.
“Parliament has commenced an investigation and if we can establish the veracity of the ... practices outlined in the Herald Sun article, the matter will be referred to external agencies.”
The probe comes after a number of anonymous whistle blowers told the Herald Sun of a practice in which
Labor MPs created fake printing invoices as a means of using taxpayer funds to cover the registration costs of new members. {BraNCH Stacking}
At the centre of the scam was printing company that would send invoices for work that was never completed. The printing company would take a cut of the invoice price and the remainder was used to cover registration fees in electorates which were on the hunt for new members.Speaking outside parliament this morning, Premier
Daniel Andrews initially downplayed the allegations that concerned three members of his party, telling reporters that he had no reason to believe that the claims were true. He said that if there was any basis to the allegations, then the issue should be referred to the Victoria Police.
In Question Time, Mr Andrews told the chamber that anyone with information regarding the issue should present their evidence to the police.
When asked in parliament whether he would conduct an audit of his own MPs to see if any others held contracts with the printing company at the centre of the claims, called F&M Printing.
Mr Andrews said it was an issue for the parliament and the Auditor-General to decide.
A number of MPs are expected to come under pressure in the wake of the allegations, with Opposition leader Matthew Guy asking the Premier during Question Time whether upper house member Khalil Eideh had ever used F&M Printing for any contracts.
{khalil eideh pledging loyalty to syrian president and who was booted out of America under the bad character test}
Mr Eideh, who was recently rejected entry from the US on a government trip on the basis of his travels to Syria, was not present during upper house question time.
The MPs in question — who have not been named — are alleged to have siphoned more than $30,000 from taxpayers using fake invoices to F&M Printing, with the proceeds used to fatten membership numbers in key seats in Melbourne’s western suburbs.
The allegations come at the end of a bruising 10 months for the ALP’s Victorian branch which has endured a number of investigations into branch stacking throughout the state, which are still to be resolved.
At the same time, preselection races are hotting up in a number of seats, including Tarneit, Melton and others, where candidates gunning for preselection have accused one another of branch stacking.
I've been hearing that its a lot more than 30K .. possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars..
what is it about Labor and Criminals..
Dan Andrews did the same thing in the last election.. syphoned off money to illegally put into his campaign..
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