Roberta Williams’ judge calls for probe into deals between police and criminals
A SUPREME Court judge who this week condemned underworld widow Roberta Williams to homelessness flagged an investigation into shonky deals between police and crooks.
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A SUPREME Court judge who this week condemned underworld widow Roberta Williams to homelessness flagged an investigation into shonky deals between police and crooks.
Justice Joanne Cameron this week upheld an earlier decision to allow the Australian Taxation Office to sell Ms Williams’ million-dollar Essendon home to recover $576,000 in unpaid taxes by her late father-in-law, George Williams.
Ms Williams argued the tax bill should have been paid by Victoria Police because then deputy commissioner Simon Overland entered a deal with Carl Williams in a bid to end the underworld war.
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The deal was condemned when it became public, as was a similar agreement for police to pay Carl’s daughter’s school fees, but Ms Williams told the Sunday Herald Sun no payment was made by authorities to her daughter’s private school.
Justice Cameron this week said there may be “public interest” in examining such deals.
“These issues of public interest may involve an examination of arrangements between the Victoria Police and the late Mr Carl Williams and on the basis of which Mr Williams arranged his affairs,’’ Justice Cameron said.
“It may involve a broader exploration of the circumstances in which organisations such as the Victoria Police enter into financial arrangements with convicted criminals in exchange for various forms of co-operation.”
According to the Justice Cameron’s judgment, George Williams ran up the massive tax debts between 2001 and 2004.
On January 21, members of Victoria Police asked the ATO whether it could pay the debt after striking a deal with Carl Williams.
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“These conversations involved police officers in Victoria Police including Commissioner Simon Overland and Inspector Peter Wilkins,” Justice Cameron said.
“Mr Overland had ‘OKed’ the payment.”
On June 15, Victoria Police paid $576,000 into an ATO suspense account, and a month later the ATO wrote to George Williams and advised him his tax liabilities were now “nil”.
But the ATO later claimed the letter had been sent in error and the tax debt remained, and the deal officially fell apart in February, 2010.
