Tim Worner’s mistress Amber Harrison ‘used corporate credit cards to buy flights, luxury hotels’
EXCLUSIVE: THE woman who triggered the sex scandal that engulfed Seven allegedly used corporate credit cards to buy flights and luxury hotels. WORNER’S GROVELLING APOLOGY
NSW
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AMBER Harrison, the former Seven West Media employee who triggered a media storm this week by exposing her sexual relationship with the group’s CEO, allegedly used corporate credit cards to buy international flights, luxury hotels and flowers for relatives and friends, a forensic accountant’s report reveals.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal the investigation by Deloitte Australia, conducted on Seven’s request in 2014, identified tens of thousands of dollars of charges made to Ms Harrison’s credit card, described as “likely unauthorised personal expenditure”.
Ms Harrison, the former executive assistant of former Pacific Magazines boss Nick Chan, this week went public with explosive revelations of an 18-month affair with Seven West chief Tim Worner, after negotiations for a financial settlement with the group broke down.
Deloitte’s report in 2014 alleges Ms Harrison used the corporate cards of both herself and Mr Chan a number of times for the benefit of herself and those she was close to, including one David Cattan — identified by the accounting firm as her then boyfriend.
Deloitte’s report identified 22 transactions allegedly incurred when Ms Harrison was on leave.
“The most significant expenditure of $2238 (related) to hotel accommodation and charges at Upper House in Hong Kong with Mr David Cattan, a locksmith from Balmain, who was Ms Harrison’s boyfriend at the time,” it said.
The Upper House is one of the most expensive hotels in Hong Kong, ranging from $800 to $2500 a night.
The Deloitte report also identified 17 transactions “with a value of $9878” relating to hotel accommodation “where either Ms Harrison, Mr Cattan (identified as an employee of Pacific Magazines), Mr Christopher Reynolds (a relative of Ms Harrison) or Mrs Ann Reynolds (Ms Harrison’s mother) is named as the guest.”
A further nine transactions were alleged by Deloittes to have occurred on weekends or public holidays, including “a flight from Sydney to Hong Kong for Mr Cattan for $948”. Referring to “fashion and electronics purchases”, Deloitte said there “would be no apparent business reason for her to incur in that role”.
The report noted there was a transaction with a florist for $128.50 “where the receipt submitted along with the account statement … is an email confirmation from the florist which identifies the recipient as ‘Ann Reynolds’ and the gift message as ‘Sympathy from all at Pacific Magazines’.
“However, an email was received by Ms Harrison from the same supplier three minutes later, for the same order where the gift card message reads: ‘Happy Birthday Glorious Mother Love Amber’.”
Deloitte alleged there were five transactions worth $3430 recorded “as being approved by Nick Chan on days when he is recorded as being on leave”. It also said there was expenditure on Mr Chan’s card “likely to be the personal expenditure of Ms Harrison’s with a value of $5800”.
In total, Deloitte concluded the full extent of “likely unauthorised personal expenditure” on behalf of Ms Harrison amounted to $42,502 — “37 transactions with a value of $36,701 on Ms Harrison’s card, and 14 transactions with a value of $5801” on Mr Chan’s card.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Mr Chan, nor by Mr Cattan nor any of Ms Harrison’s relatives.
Ms Harrison could not be reached for comment through her solicitor Sam Macedone yesterday. However, a media statement released on her behalf this week said shortly after the Deloitte report was finalised in 2014, she “agreed not to question approximately $40,000” of charges she made to her corporate card, which Seven had deemed to be personal.
Shortly after the Deloitte investigation was completed, Seven offered Ms Harrison a confidential settlement of more than $350,000, including the $40,000 she opted not to dispute. According to Ms Harrison’s statement, Seven also made an undertaking that “for every dollar of alleged fraud she could disprove on the list, Seven would pay her same”. But that settlement ultimately foundered in the first half of 2015, amid claims and counterclaims between the two parties.
AMBER’S ALLEGED FLIGHTS OF FANCY
Amber Harrison’s credit card expenses*
$948 Airfare to Hong Kong for David Cattan, allegedly her boyfriend at the time
$2238 Accommodation and charges at The Upper House Hotel in Hong Kong for her and Mr Cattan
$128.50 Flowers for her mother Ann Reynolds
$9878 Another 17 transactions Deloitte alleges were for personal use
(* According to the official Deloitte report)
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