Senior police thwarted fraud squad’s probe into red shirts rort, whistleblower says

A whistleblower claims senior police “interfered with” and “obstructed” the investigation into the red shirts rort in a bid to help Labor win the 2018 election.

Police tasked with investigating Labor MPs over the infamous red shirts rort were actively blocked from doing their jobs in a deliberate cover-up to help Daniel Andrews win the 2018 election, a force whistleblower has claimed.

In an explosive statement addressed to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, the whistleblower involved in the investigation has claimed senior police interfered with and obstructed their work.

The 29-page statement, written and witnessed in June, calls for a fresh probe into how the investigation was conducted.

The anti-corruption watchdog refused to comment on its status on Tuesday night.

The emergence of the document comes weeks after the Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass said there was no new evidence to warrant another criminal investigation into the red shirts rort or a referral to IBAC.

The Labor rort saw almost $388,000 in taxpayers’ money spent on part-paying electorate staff to campaign for the 2014 election which was won by Premier Daniel Andrews.

The whistleblower’s statement claims: “I have new information that the Victoria Police fraud squad investigation into the red shirts matter was interfered with, obstructed and prevented, by senior police high up in police command, from being conducted normally and properly.

“It may also have involved other people outside Victoria Police command”.

The Labor rort saw almost $388,000 in taxpayers’ money spent on part-paying electorate staff to campaign for the 2014 election.

Almost two dozen MPs, including several ministers, were embroiled in the scandal, with Mr Andrews agreeing to pay the money back.

Former minister Adem Somyurek has testified Mr Andrews said “do you want to win an election or not?” when concerns were first raised about the scam.

Victoria Police launched an investigation after the Herald Sun uncovered the rort, but no charges were laid.

A bid to reopen the police investigation earlier this year was rejected because of a lack of new information.

The whistleblower wants a fresh probe into how the investigation was conducted by police command.

Last November, it was revealed detectives were prevented from arresting MPs over the rort. The police whistleblower was directly involved in the 2018 investigation, arrest of suspects and subsequent interviews.

“The investigators in this case did have a lawful power of arrest, to arrest the suspect Labor MPs, notwithstanding that the suspects had declined to be interviewed,” the statement said. “It was the same power the investigators had used to arrest the 17 Labor volunteers and staffers. For some strange reason the Labor MPs in this investigation were not arrested.”

The whistleblower also claimed detectives were refused permission by police command from obtaining phone records and other computer data relating to MPs.

“The refusal by police command to allow the fraud squad investigators to search thoroughly and gather all of the available evidence, in order to do their job fairly, properly and without fear or favour is very unusual and suspicious,” the whistleblower said.

“I believe that the police investigation and the decision on whether to charge the Labor MPs were intentionally delayed until after the election in November 2018 for political reasons. It is indicative that there probably was political interference in the criminal investigation.”

The statement further claims fraud detectives were frustrated by the decision that no MPs should be questioned.

“The Labor MP suspects should have been arrested and questioned by police, even if they had declined to come in to be interviewed,” the complaint said.

The leak comes weeks after the Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass said there was no new evidence to warrant another criminal investigation into the rort. Picture: David Crosling

“The suspect Labor MPs were inexplicably shielded and given favourable treatment by senior police for, as yet, undetermined reasons, from being arrested, questioned, possibly charged and even convicted.”

An IBAC spokesman said: “As a matter of practice, IBAC does not comment on whether it has a complaint or investigation before it”.

Senior government minister Lily D’Ambrosio has denied claims senior police interfered with the red shirts investigation.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Ms D’Ambrosio said there was no reason for IBAC to reopen the inquiry.

“I’m not here to entertain any claims...these matters have been turned inside out and they found nothing,” she said.

“(IBAC) concluded that the investigation is over and there’s nothing more to see here.

“The line has been drawn under these matters, not by myself, not by the government, but by independent, fierce champions of investigations.

“And as far as I’m concerned, that’s the end of it.”

Victoria Police were also contacted for comment.

A spokesperson for the state government said the matter had been thoroughly canvassed by the Ombudsman who had independently concluded there was nothing more to investigate.

“Matters IBAC chooses to examine are a matter for IBAC,” she said.