Victoria’s Opposition Leader Matthew Guy had dinner with alleged mafia figure Tony Madafferi
UPDATE: AN AUDIT of Victorian Liberal Party donations shows guests at a lobster dinner Matthew Guy attended have not made disclosable donations since the Opposition leader was elected to State Parliament.
VIC News
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AN AUDIT of Victorian Liberal Party donations shows guests at a lobster dinner Matthew Guy attended in April have not made disclosable donations since the Opposition leader was elected to State Parliament.
Victorian Liberal Party president Michael Kroger told the Herald Sun the party had checked its records today, after revelations Mr Guy attended a dinner at Beaumaris’s Lobster Cave with alleged mafia figure Tony Madafferi.
“No disclosable donations have been made from any of these (dinner guest) parties since Matthew Guy has been in Parliament,” he said.
“This is the start of a dirty war by Daniel Andrews against the Victorian coalition.”
Mr Madafferi is understood to be “upset’’ at the exposure of his meeting with Mr Guy but has refused to comment on the matter.
Court documents claim the alleged crime figure has “close involvement with serious criminal conduct, including drug importation, murder and extortion.”
Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has referred his dinner with Tony Madafferi — an alleged mafia boss — to the corruption watchdog.
The Victoria Police affidavits outline the information and intelligence it has obtained to secure Mr Madafferi’s ban from racetracks and Crown Casino.
The court documents allege Mr Madafferi has “close involvement with serious criminal conduct, including drug importation, murder and extortion, and his association with prominent criminal entities and persons who have a history of significant criminal conduct.’’
Legal documents obtained from the Supreme Court in which Victoria Police are fighting attempts by Mr Madafferi from overturning his ban broadly outline intelligence it holds on the fruiterer.
Detective Superintendent Peter Brigham states in his affidavit that while police cannot reveal “protected documents” about its intelligence to Mr Madafferi’s defence team, their intelligence contains “a summary analysis of Victorian Police intelligence regarding the Plaintiff.”
Mr Guy said today told reporters the name Antonio Madafferi did not trigger any alarm bells in his office.
He said his office was told Antonio Madafferi would be attending the dinner but the name was not given to him.
Mr Guy said at a press conference this afternoon that people might make criticism on his lack of judgment on staying at a meeting with him, but his conduct was all aboveboard.
He said leaked transcripts about a phone call Liberal fundraiser Barrie Macmillan had made to an unknown party would be referred to IBAC for investigation.
When asked what Mr Guy would tell IBAC, he said: “They can have what they want. I have broken no laws.
“It’s been inferred that I went there seeking money, that is completely and utterly false.
“There was at least 10 people there.
“That was my recollection of the night, that was my absolute recollection of the night.
“There were so many first names I could not remember them.
“I don't know about a secret entrance, I came in through the front door.
“If the secret entrance is the front door we have a new definition.”
Mr Guy said he ordered the Lobster Cave seafood platter which was “much less than $500”.
Mr Guy and Mr Madafferi, owner of the La Porchetta pizza chain, wined and dined over several bottles of Penfolds Grange at Lobster Cave in Beaumaris earlier this year, according to the ABC.
The cheapest bottle of Penfolds Grange on the Lobster Cave wine list is $899, going up to $1500.
The meeting, on April 12, was organised by fruit and vegetable grower Frank Lamattina to discuss issues in the industry.
WERE YOU THERE? CONTACT news@heraldsun.com.au
Mr Guy was reportedly unaware that Mr Madafferi would be at the meeting.
Mr Guy told reporters outside parliament this morning it was not a secret meeting.
He said Lobster Cave was packed with patrons at the time and he was not ushered into the restaurant in secret.
Mr Guy told reporters there were photos to prove it. But he admitted if he had his time again he would not meet with an alleged mafia boss for a lobster dinner.
He said he spoke to fruit and vegetable seller Mr Madafferi as part of a group discussion on Melbourne markets.
“They didn’t want anything, they just wanted to talk to me about the operation,” Mr Guy said this morning.
When asked if he should have left after he realised Mr Madafferi was there, Mr Guy said: “once you’re there you’re there”.
Mr Guy said it wasn’t a secret dinner and he was invited by long time Liberal party donor Frank Lamattina.
“Frank said to me he would bring his cousins ... the Lamattina family is big,” he said.
Mr Guy said he attended the two hour dinner with a dozen people but denied knowing who Tony Madafferi was.
“To my knowledge I hadn’t met any of them before I was introduced to them,” Mr Guy said.
“If I was supposedly out there conducting a meeting with Melbourne’s underworld would I have done it in public in the middle of the Lobster Cave, not a private room in Florentino’s, but the middle of the Lobster Cave. It was very public, people shook my hand as I walked in. They knew who I was. I was not hiding.
“If it was so secretive, why was it in the middle of a packed suburban restaurant?
“Frank Lamattina someone I know very well asked me in good faith to meet his relatives, his cousins, who are some of the biggest users of the Melbourne Markets.
“I said yes. I met them, it was straight forward. I asked who was coming directly and he said my cousins.
“So to be very straight forward, there was no donations there was no talk of political donations, any attachment on stories that this was some how related to political donations is false.
“Absolutely false. I had a straight forward discussion about the Melbourne markets with everyone at that table.”
It’s not the first time Mr Madafferi has rubbed shoulders with high-ranking Liberal politicians.
As reported in the Herald Sun last year, Malcolm Turnbull unwittingly spent a fundraising lunch with Mr Madafferi and slain mafia lawyer Joseph Acquaro in 2008.
Mr Acquaro told the Herald Sun, just months before his execution in March last year, that he had spent decades “lobbying’’ politicians for the mafia and other businessmen.
He said he had met with Mr Turnbull in 2008, at a lunch organised by Liberal MP Russell Broadbent.
Documents and photographs obtained by the Herald Sun expose the extent of Mr Acquaro and Mr Madafferi’s political connections.
Mr Acquaro, however, had said those connections were severed after he had a bitter fallout with the Madafferi brother several years ago.
In several pictures, taken by Mr Acquaro on the day of the federal Budget in either 2005 or 2006, Mr Madafferi and another Calabrian businessmen are seated in the Member’s Dining Room in Parliament House in Canberra with Mr Broadbent, and in another photograph, now-Health Minister Greg Hunt.
Mr Hunt has previously said he had been introduced to Mr Madafferi a decade ago but had no contact with him for about six years.
Mr Madafferi, and uncle Vince Madafferi, are in the photos.
“They came to lunch that day. I didn’t know they were in the building. They arrived unannounced in my office with Lou Gazzola who is a highly respected former chairman of the Victorian Vegetable Growers Association,’’ Mr Broadbent said.
“I have a long-time relationship with the Italian community because I was born at Koo Wee Rup.
“Of course I would offer any hospitality to Lou and the people with him.’’
Mr Acquaro, the former president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce, claimed he was the link for Mr Madafferi to gain political influence.
Some shouts about "lobster" coming from Labor benches now #springst
— Matt Johnston (@Media_Matt) August 8, 2017
Mr Guy rejected reports he was sharing a bottle of Grange with his fellow diners saying: “I don’t drink red wine ... the talk of me getting stuck into a bottle of Grange is just not true.”
He also said the revelation he had attended the meeting was not new claiming Mr Andrews and his deputy had raised the meeting with him in the Victorian Parliament in May.
Reports in Fairfax Media say other Liberal Party members were at the meeting, and that it was also attended by several of Mr Lamattina’s relatives.
No political donations were sought during the meeting, according to a spokesman for Mr Guy, and the bill was picked up by Mr Lamattina.
A spokesman for Mr Guy said that he had been at the dinner, but that it had been “hosted and organised by Liberal Party member and Executive Member of AUSVEG Victoria, Frank Lamattina”, and was “held in open view at a popular restaurant”.
Mr Madafferi has previously denied any wrongdoing and has never been charged with any offence.
However, Victoria Police presented an affidavit in court in June alleging Mr Madafferi had ties to ‘prominent criminal entities and persons’.
Premier Daniel Andrews said he didn’t know if he had ever met or taken donations from the Madafferis.
“Not over a bottle of grange I haven’t,” he said.
“I don’t know. Certainly haven’t had a lobster and a bottle of grange with them.
“Those matters are best explained by the people that are there,” Mr Andrews said.
But he would not be drawn on Mr Guy’s reported dinner meeting with alleged mafia figure Tony Madafferi.
“He can explain his conduct himself,” Mr Andrews said.
“If you want an explanation about his (Mr Guy’s) behaviour you should speak to him.”
Police Minister Lisa Neville said organised crime was a significant concern in this state and the AFP and Victoria Police had serious concerns about Mr Madafferi.
“I don’t think there is any acceptable reason to be associating with people who Victoria and federal police consider to be of significant risk in this state,” Ms Neville said.
Attorney-General Martin Pakula said the opposition leader had two separate personas.
“He wants to be Judge Dredd by day and Tony Soprano by night,” Mr Pakula said.
“This raises significant questions about his judgment and raises significant questions on if his tough on crime persona can be believed, if he is willing to dine with people like this, for the sake of a few bucks for the Liberal Party.”
Deputy Premier James Merlino said Mr Guy had serious questions to answer.
“Did he solicit donations to the Liberal Party from organised crime figures? Was this a Liberal Party fundraiser?” Mr Merlino said.
“Victoria Police have had concerns about this individual for quite some time. Matthew Guy knew this, yet Matthew Guy chose to have an intimate dinner with this individual.
“Matthew Guy needs to stand up and answer methodically, serious questions every one has about his involvement with this organised crime figure.
“Matthew Guy knew about this individual, he attended a fundraiser previously and was warned about it.”
The Madafferis are heavily involved in the fruit and vegetable industry and the family run several fruit shops.
— with James Dowling
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