Human Group raided over alleged NAB scheme
THE former chief of staff to National Australia Bank chief executive Andrew Thorburn is being investigated over her knowledge of an alleged multimillion-dollar corporate fraud.
NSW
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THE former chief of staff to National Australia Bank chief executive Andrew Thorburn is being investigated over her knowledge of an alleged multimillion-dollar corporate fraud.
NSW Police Financial Crimes Squad detectives raided three addresses yesterday linked to events management company Human Group, which provided executive leadership training and organised major staff events for NAB.
Rosemary Rogers, who worked at the bank for 20 years, including nine years as a chief of staff to the chief executive, resigned in December after a NAB whistleblower uncovered the alleged fraud. The bank reported the allegations to police in February
The whistleblower questioned the reason behind inflated commissions being paid by Human Group to the bank.
Human Group chief Helen Rosamond spent hours in her North Sydney office yesterday as detectives took photos, seized documents and examined computers.
Neither she nor Ms Rogers have been accused of any wrongdoing. Mr Thorburn is not a target of the investigation. Human Group worked with NAB for a decade, with the scheme believed to have been ongoing for many years and worth millions of dollars.
Ms Rogers worked very closely with Mr Thorburn for four years, who praised her at the time of her resignation, noting “she cared for me and my family”.
At the time it was reported Rogers left due to a “lapse of judgment” over communiques found on her computer.
Yesterday, Mr Thorburn described the allegations against the unidentified individuals as one of the greatest breaches of trust in the bank’s 160-year history.
“If these allegations are proved to be true it is a very serious breach of trust and banking is based on trust,” he said in a video message to employees.
“And I, like you, are very proud of our company and what banking stands for and these sort of allegations really hurt out reputation.”
Human Group organises major events, conferences, and training seminars for companies and boasts UNICEF Australia as a corporate partner.
It worked with the charity in 2014 supporting teacher training across 17 schools in East Timor, reaching more than 6000 children.
Ms Rosamond rents a luxurious Potts Point terrace for $2500 per week.
Her social media profile paints her enjoying a lavish lifestyle, relaxing on a luxury catamaran, skiing in Lake Tahoe and even holding the Melbourne Cup.
Police said investigations were ongoing.
“Our corporate corruption team has been working tirelessly to track payments and other funds to determine if an offence has been committed,” Financial Crimes Squad commander detective Superintendent Linda Howlett said.
“From the information we have gathered so far, we know there are people who have significant information that may assist us, and we are appealing for them to come forward.”