Our Journalists

Ben ButlerNational Investigations Editor

Ben Butler has investigated everything from bikie gangs to multibillion dollar international frauds, with a particular focus on the intersection between the corporate and criminal worlds. He has previously worked for mastheads including The Age, The Australian and The Guardian.

Ben Butler

Latest

ExclusivePolice & Courts

pat lennon and the qld place hes selling

Ex-Melb lawyer selling drug trafficker’s beachside flat

Pat Lennon, who has gone from representing the likes of Mick Gatto and Danny Nikolic to facing drugs charges, has been selling off millions of dollars in assets.

ExclusiveWorld

Travel blogger Adriana Matak (Kupresak), 36, and her investment advisor husband Luka Matak, 31, both formerly of Sydney, are being held in Remetinec prison in the Croatian capital Zagreb. Source - www.adrianakupresak.com,

Arrested wealthy Aussie allegedly worked as $1K-a-night hostess

New details have emerged about the Australian woman accused in Croatia of swindling investors of nearly $600,000 and her life in Europe.

Companies

Todd Sampsonescapeseptember 27 2020my travel cv

Will Qantas director Todd Sampson be re-elected?

TV star Todd Sampson and former Macquarie Group executive Belinda Hutchinson will put themselves up for re-election as directors when Qantas shareholders next meet.

Full ListCompanies

Qantas board execs’ gravy plane of salaries revealed

The eye-watering pay packets of more than a dozen high-powered individuals running Australia’s embattled national carrier have been revealed.

Companies

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NCA NewsWire Photos - 24 AUGUST, 2023CEO designate Vanessa Hudson discusses the Qantas GroupÃs full year results at the Qantas Head Quarters in Mascot.Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

New Qantas boss’ $5.3m secret windfall

Vanessa Hudson will receive a retirement jackpot of $5.3m in her top job, more than eight times the $690,000 that experts estimate the average Australian worker needs.

UpdatedWorld

Australian man Luka Matak, who has been arrested in Croatia over fraud allegations. Source: Supplied.

Alleged Aussie fraudster at centre of multi-million dollar scandal

A Whatsapp chat has revealed allegations that Sydney man Luka Matak, who is in custody with his wife Andriana, failed to pay for a $45k ring. See the messages.

Companies

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos AUGUST 21, 2023: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese opens the new CSL Global HQ and Centre for Research and Development in Melbourne with Dr Brian McNamee AO, Chair of the Board of Directors of CSL. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

‘It’s unfair’: CSL accused of tax dodging

Australia’s vaccine powerhouse, CSL, is being accused of shifting $5bn to Switzerland to crush its tax bill at a time the company was tied up in giant government contracts.

ExclusiveCompanies

How arrested Aussie couple allegedly defrauded investors

Investors who gave their hard earned cash to former Sydney couple Adriana Kupresak and Luka Matak, have revealed for the first time how the couple allegedly defrauded investors.

Travel

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 15: Alan Joyce, Group CEO of Qantas takes photos on his phone during the flight from London to Sydney direct on November 15, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. The flight was restricted to 50 people, including 10 crew, to increase aircraft range, and included medical scientists and health experts on board to conduct studies in the cockpit and the cabin to help determine strategies to promote long haul inflight health and wellbeing on ultra-long haul flights. It comes as the national carrier continues to work towards the final frontier of global aviation by launching non-stop commercial flights between the US and the UK to the east coast of Australia in an ambitious project dubbed

Fury over $2m worth of free flights for Joyce

Departing Qantas boss Alan Joyce will receive millions of dollars in hidden perks, including free flights, sparking fury from the industry and shareholders.

ExclusiveWorld

$600K fraud case: Wealthy Aussie socialite couple arrested

An Australian couple who have rubbed shoulders with Sydney A-listers are now being held in a prison in Croatia after an alleged fraud that ripped off investors.

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/journalists/ben-butler/page/9