Former financial adviser Warren Acworth faces Brisbane court
A man will be summoned to give evidence about a former Macquarie Equities Limited financial adviser accused of a swag of offences, including giving false information to a client.
Southeast
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A former Macquarie financial adviser has faced a Brisbane court charged with a swag of dishonesty offences including fraud and making false or misleading statements.
Warren Scott Acworth, 53, appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday, March 29 for the first day of a committal hearing.
The Manly West man, who worked as an adviser with Macquarie Equities Limited between December 2015 and May 2018, is charged with 16 counts of making false or misleading statements between September 2016 and January 2018, five counts of fraud between June 2017 and January 2018 and six counts of making false statements in the course of examination in March 2019.
Defence barrister Saul Holt KC began proceedings on Wednesday by alerting Magistrate Julian Noud to the “substantial” development that a witness in the matter had declined, at the last moment, to appear and give evidence.
The witness, Ian Harvey, is presently in New Zealand.
The court heard Mr Harvey’s evidence is related to Macquarie’s investigation into allegations Mr Acworth provided false information about financial products to a client of the bank.
“The evidence before me … is that Mr Harvey’s evidence is significant to establish the falsity of the information the defendant is alleged to have provided,” Mr Noud said.
He noted Mr Harvey previously indicated he was prepared to travel to Australia to give evidence.
Mr Noud decided it was not appropriate Mr Harvey give evidence from overseas and that he should instead give evidence in person, adjourning the second half of the committal hearing to August 15 to allow time for the prosecution to summon him.
Mr Holt said his client Mr Acworth was “very anxious” for the matter to proceed as soon as possible.
He has not yet entered a plea.
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