Disgraced former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale released from prison after three years behind bars

Disgraced former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale has been released from prison after serving more than three of seven years behind bars over dozens of offences including fraud and corruption.

Disgraced former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale has been released from prison after serving more than three years behind bars over dozens of offences including fraud and corruption.

The former high flyer was one of Ipswich’s favourite sons during more than two decades of public office, but his reign came crashing down in a spectacular fall from grace when he was slapped with 30 charges on offences including corruption, fraud and sexual assault.

Pisasale, now 71, pleaded guilty to the charges in 2020 and was sentenced to seven years’ jail.

But prisoner identification records reveal he is no longer an inmate at a Queensland correctional centre.

The former politician had spent the bulk of his sentence at Wolston Correctional Centre at 176A Grindle Rd, Wacol, near Ipswich.

Former Ipswich Mayor, Paul Pisasale. Picture: Richard Gosling/AAP

Pisasale was first elected to Ipswich City Council in the early 1990s and spent more than a decade as the city’s most popular mayor before a flood of allegations of serious misconduct started to surface.

Pisasale took money from developers while donations worth thousands of dollars were at times deposited into his personal bank account.

In Pisasale’s sentencing in September, 2020, Judge Dennis Lynch KC slammed the career politician for the “gross abuse of your position as a trusted leader of the Ipswich community.”

Former colleague Paul Tully, who was Australia’s longest-serving councillor and worked alongside Pisasale for his entire career, said he hoped the disgraced politician could give back to the community.

Paul Pisasale was once one of Ipswich’s favourite sons and even had a bridge named after him. Picture: Cordell Richardson

“I haven’t seen him for more than five years, but I would hope he can have a role to play in community organisations or welfare groups as a volunteer where he can give back to the community,” he said.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Parole Board of Queensland confirmed “a decision on a parole application for prisoner Paul Pisasale has been finalised” but would not go into any detail.

It is understood Pisasale became eligible for parole on October 20 of this year, but when asked when parole had actually been approved, the spokesman said “it would be inappropriate for the Board to comment on the particulars of individual parole matters”.

Pisasale is battling multiple sclerosis and is banned from talking to the media while on parole.