Labor is calling on the Prime Minister to immediately direct the Victorian Liberal Party to disclose full details of former State Director Damien Mantach’s fraud against the Commonwealth, following today’s sentencing.
Mantach was today sentenced to five years jail for ripping off more than $1.5 million from the Victorian Division of the Liberal Party, including an unknown sum from the Australian taxpayer, via rorting of Liberal Party MPs and Senators' taxpayer-funded entitlements.
It was revealed in Senate Estimates last year that, at that time, the Victorian Liberal Party had not repaid a single cent of the money Mr Mantach defrauded from taxpayers.
The Australian people are entitled to ask whether any money has now been repaid and, if not, when will the Liberal Party repay its debt to the taxpayer?
On 28 August 2015 the Department of Finance wrote to the Victorian Liberal Party’s lawyers demanding full details about Mr Mantach’s fraud against the public purse. Yet, despite many conversations between the Department and the Liberal Party, that information still has not been provided.
What we do know is:
· $723,266 was paid to printing and distribution firm Melbourne Mailing during Mr Mantach’s reign with the Victorian Liberals.
· Mr Mantach pleaded guilty to a $1.5 million fraud and is behind bars for five years.
· The Victorian Liberal Party has only offered to repay a paltry $20,000 to compensate for its former State Director’s fraud against the taxpayer, and has failed to disclose how it came up with this figure.
This is a very serious matter and it follows on from the NSW electoral commission refusing to provide public money to the NSW Liberal Party because of its refusal to disclose the names of donors to the secretive Free Enterprise Foundation.
If Malcolm Turnbull is serious about crime and corruption, he must start by finally addressing the consequences of criminal conduct within his own party.