Disgraced former Dobel MP Craig Thomson granted bail

Former MP Craig Thomson allegedly claimed nearly $60,000 in JobKeeper payments using the names of two staff from a cafe which had been demolished, according to court documents.

New details have emerged in charge sheets tendered in court about former MP Craig Thomson’s alleged visa and JobKeeper fraud including how he allegedly used the names of two former employees to claim nearly $60,000.

It comes as charge sheets tendered in Gosford Local Court also state how much hopeful migrants allegedly paid the 57-year-old for sponsorship visas and the names of his victims.

Among 30 charges relating to allegedly falsifying visa documents and accepting payments for visa sponsorships, which were ultimately refused, Thomson was also charged with obtaining JobKeeper funds by deception.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) allege in charge sheets that Thomson obtained $27,900 in JobKeeper payments for two staff each between June 30 last year and April 16 this year from a Wyong cafe he owned totalling $55,800.

However the cafe shut in June last year when the landlord demolished the building as part of a refurbishment of the site.

The cafe’s business name was also cancelled by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

AFP will allege in court Thomson used the details of his two former employees to apply for the JobKeeper payments, which he kept, without them knowing.

He is also charged with providing false information relating to the visa applications of Srijana Aryal Bhatta, Alisha Kandel, Ajit Singh, Inderjot Singh, Vipulkumar Patel, Sagar Aryal, Mohammad Mazharuddin, Sagar Rameshbhai Panchal, Zheqian Sun and Jun Li.

Fronting the media scrum, Thomson leaves Gosford Police Station. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

Charge sheets state Thomson also sought payments ranging from $5,000 to $35,000 in return for visas for five of these people, which were ultimately refused.

AFP allege the total amount Thomson received in payments for failed visa applications was $80,000.

AFP will allege in court Thomson placed legitimate migrants in legitimate jobs but then used the details of up to 24 small and medium businesses to apply for 130 fraudulent visas in false names, which allegedly saw him pocket more than $2 million.

He was also charged with dealing with the proceeds of crime worth $100,000 between May 14, 2017 and March 29, 2019 and $50,000 between June 30, 2020 and April 16 this year.

PREVIOUSLY FROM YESTERDAY, NOVEMBER 19

Former Labor MP for Dobell Craig Thomson has been granted bail and spared a $500,000 surety that was sought by the prosecution after a Magistrate found flight risk, the risk of committing further offences or interfering with witnesses could be mitigated by strict conditions.

The 57-year-old’s solicitor Jamie Clements sought bail on the grounds Thomson was in the process of separating from his wife and “needed to get his affairs in order”.

He told the court Thomson “lives for his children”, aged 12, 10 and 4 and was the coach of the Under 10s Terrigal girl’s soccer team.

Mr Clement said Thomson was involved in three businesses including the migrant visa business, which was the subject of most of the allegations but also exported fruit and vegetables to India and had an involvement in a cafe.

Former Labor MP Craig Thomson leaves Gosford Police Station. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

He told the court Thomson had voluntarily participated in two interviews with AFP officers since becoming aware of the investigation in July and had not left the area.

The court heard he had previously been on bail for theft offences in Melbourne in 2013 and 2014 and had not breached any of those conditions at the time.

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions Chelsea Brain however said Covid travel restrictions in place in July had eased and Thomson had allegedly tried to fabricate business statements since becoming aware of the investigation in July.

She said he was a risk of committing further offences or interfering with evidence given his “propensity towards dishonesty” and he had contacts in India through his export business.

The prosecutor told the court the Commonwealth was relying on a 36-page statement of facts and a nine-page annexure detailing why bail was opposed.

Ms Brain said Thomson had $250,000 In superannuation and there was some evidence he had tried to access it and “the risk of flight continuing”.

She said there was a “pattern of behaviour” where documents were falsified and in many of the 130 visa sponsorships identified, some of the businesses did not know they were sponsoring a migrant application or the position of employment didn’t exist.

Thomson spent a night in jail before being released on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

“The common link … in all cases is the accused,” Ms Brain told the court.

Mr Clements however submitted Thomson’s level of involvement in the alleged scheme remained in question.

“Mr Thomson denies any wrongdoing and intends to vigorously fight these charges,” he said.

Magistrate Jennifer Price said the provision of surety was not “fatal to (the bail) application” and further risks could be mitigated.

She granted bail on the condition he not be within 500m of any port of departure, surrender his passport, report daily to Terrigal Police Station and not approach or have contact with any witness, migrant official, visa applicant or business he had been involved in providing sponsorship.

He is also only allowed to have one mobile phone and not access any encrypted applications.

He was adjourned to reappear on February 8.

His appearance comes after officers from a joint agency investigation led by the AFP and comprising the Australian Border Force (ABF), AUSTRAC, the Australian Taxation Office and Department of Home Affairs arrested the 57-year-old at his Terrigal home on Wednesday following a three-year investigation.

Thomson has been charged over an alleged `cash for visas’ scheme.

He was taken to Gosford Police Station where he was charged with 30 offences including 20 counts of providing false documents and false or misleading information relating to non-citizens, five counts of receiving a benefit in return for a sponsorship, two counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception and two counts of dealing with the proceeds of crime.

AFP will allege in court Thomson was the “primary facilitator of a multimillion-dollar migration fraud” and allegedly facilitated more than 130 fraudulent visa applications — focusing on the food service and regional farm worker industries — over four years, resulting in more than $2 million being gained from this alleged activity.

Thomson’s arrest came after AFP and ABF officers conducted nine simultaneous raids earlier this year on July 21 at Thomson’s then home at Wamberal as well as Terrigal, Copacabana, two locations each in the Sydney suburbs of Revesby and Rockdale, and at East Maitland and Bundaberg West in Queensland.

At the time of the searches Thomson and his wife of 10 years Zoe Thomson had recently sold the Wamberal property for $3.55 million.

Thomson and his wife, a former press secretary for former NSW Health Minister Reba Meagher, married in 2011, a year before he became embroiled in a credit card scandal which saw him charged with using Health Services Union credit cards on everything from prostitutes to funding his 2007 election.

Zoe Thomson stood by her man during the credit card, prostitute scandal.

After a number of court cases he was ultimately convicted and fined $25,000 with other fraud charges and a 12-month jail sentence dismissed on appeal.

The couple have three children and despite standing by her man through a tumultuous decade police last week took out an apprehended violence order to protect Zoe Thomson from her now ex-husband.

Thomson did not appear to defend the AVO at Gosford Local Court last Monday, November 8 and it was granted in his absence for two years.

Under the terms of the order Thomson must not assault or threaten Zoe or anyone she has a domestic relationship with, he must not intentionally or recklessly destroy or damage any property or harm an animal in the possession of Zoe and he must not go anywhere she lives or works.

Happier times, Thomson and his wife Zoe with their first child Matilda.

Officers conducted additional searches on Wednesday at Thomson’s new Terrigal address and at a Tuggerah premises.

Investigations are continuing into other potential criminal offences and further arrests have not been ruled out.

ABF Assistant Commissioner East and Port Operations, Erin Dale, said the ABF takes a zero-tolerance approach to anyone trying to profit through the exploitation of vulnerable foreign workers.

“This investigation demonstrates the unwavering resolve of the ABF and AFP in preventing the exploitation of foreign workers in Australia. ‘Cash for visa’ schemes as they are often known, target vulnerable visa holders who may not be aware of Australian laws and workplace entitlements,” she said.