Hills Labor councillor Ray Harty charged with $220k fraud
A Labor councillor from The Hills Shire Council has been charged with defrauding a training company partly owned by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.
NSW
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A Labor councillor from The Hills Shire Council has been charged with defrauding a training company partly owned by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.
Today councillor Ray Harty, 72, was served with a court attendance notice by police relating to alleged fraudulent payments into a personal bank account worth more than $220,000.
Police will allege councillor Harty, who was given the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2012 for his work with the construction industry, was the general manager of Comet Training when he committed the alleged fraud.
He has been charged with one count of dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception and is due to face Burwood Local Court on April 12.
Yesterday police also charged former Comet Training financial controller Amanda Cai with allegedly stealing more than $200,000 from the company,
The 56-year-old was also charged with dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception and she was granted bail to appear at Burwood Local Court on March 1.
NSW Police have said an investigation began after members of the company reported a number of irregularities in the accounting.
Officers attached to Flemington Police Area Command commenced inquiries, and will allege a number of fraudulent payments totalling $445,000 were made into two personal bank accounts between 2011 and 2017.
Comet Training has since gone into liquidation.
Councillor Harty was first elected to The Hills council 2004
When contacted by the Daily Telegraph Councillor today Councillor Harty declined to make any comment about the allegations.
“I make no comment, talk to me lawyer,” he said.