Craig Thomson: Evidence, charges finalised in alleged visa migration fraud case
State and federal prosecutors have finalised their allegations of visa migration and Covid fraud against former Labor MP Craig Thomson, a court has heard.
Central Coast
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Former federal Labor MP Craig Robert Thomson knows the full extent of the allegations of visa migration and Covid support payment fraud against him after prosecutors finalised their briefs of evidence and charges.
The 58-year-old, of Narara, faced Gosford Local Court on Tuesday where a Commonwealth prosecutor withdrew 30 charges against Thomson and laid 22 replacement charges, which have been “certified” to proceed to finality.
Thomson’s bail was also transferred from the former charges, which were formally “dismissed” by the court, to the new allegations.
It was a largely administrative appearance and came 16 months after his former house at Wamberal was raided by Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers, in concert with officers from Border Force and Home Affairs, on July 21, 2021.
The AFP alleged at the time Thomson was the “primary facilitator of a multimillion-dollar migration fraud” and allegedly received more than $2 million as a result of the syndicate.
He was charged in November last year with 30 counts of providing false documents and false or misleading information relating to non-citizens, receiving a benefit in return for a sponsorship, obtaining financial advantage by deception and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
However on Tuesday those charges were scrapped in favour of 18 counts of delivering a document containing false statement relating to the visa applications of nine foreign workers between 2017 and 2020.
He was also charged with one count each of presenting a forged or false document under the Migration Act, dealing with the proceeds of crime totalling more than $50,000 and two counts of fraudulently obtaining Covid Jobkeeper payments on behalf of employees at his North Grounds Cafe, north of Wyong.
Thomson is also facing five offences under NSW state legislation including contravening an apprehended violence order at Terrigal in September, two counts of defrauding Covid business grants to the value of $25,000 and one count each of publishing false or misleading material and making a false document to secure Jobsaver payments from Service NSW and rent assistance for his cafe.
The court heard Thomson’s lawyers had received the “last volume” of the brief of evidence in relation to the state-based offences this week and those matters were adjourned to November 29 to set a hearing date.
His Commonwealth matters were adjourned until January 10.
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