Moree Local Aboriginal Land Council boss Susan Leslie-Briggs charged over alleged $120K fraud

The former CEO of a local aboriginal land council has been charged with misappropriating more than $120,000 of the organisation’s money following an ICAC investigation.

The former CEO of a local Aboriginal Land Council branch has been accused of making “unauthorised withdrawals” from the organisation’s bank accounts, after she was investigated by the state’s corruption watchdog for allegedly misappropriating more than $120,000.

Susan Leslie-Briggs has been charged with more than 40 offences, after the Independent Commission Against Corruption began investigating her for “serious misconduct” while at the helm of the Moree Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC).

The 47-year-old had been the CEO from November 2013 until July 2017 – when her employment was terminated, with the organisation alleging she made “unauthorised withdrawals” from Moree LALC’s bank account.

Her employer also alleged she had provided false authorisations for salary to be paid from the rental account.

At the time of her employment, she was paid a healthy salary of $75,000 per year, plus an employer provided motor vehicle and mobile phone.

Former CEO of the Moree Local Aboriginal Council Susan Leslie-Briggs. Picture: supplied

The allegations were referred to ICAC, which launched Operation Kronos to investigate the claims she “dishonestly exercised her public official functions as CEO of the Moree Local Aboriginal Land Council to misappropriate around $122,000 for the benefit of herself and others”, and “attempted to misappropriate a further $8000”.

Operation Kronos did not proceed to a public inquiry or public report, and the investigation was discontinued.

However, in 2021, the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions was sought in relation to possible criminal prosecutions against Leslie-Briggs.

More than a year later, Leslie-Briggs was charged with 42 offences, including dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, publishing false misleading material to obtain advantage and giving false/misleading evidence at public inquiry.

She faced Moree Local Court for the first time in May – and is yet to enter pleas to the allegations against her.

She will return to court in July.

Leslie-Briggs alleged she was unfairly dismissed from her position at the Land Council in 2017, however, filing an unfair dismissal claim to the Fair Work Commission.

In the Fair Work filing, she strongly denied the misconduct allegations claiming they were the result of bullying, harassment and intimidation allegedly inflicted upon her by another person employed by the Moree Local Aboriginal Land Council.