Hawks racism report author Phil Egan arrested by fraud cops

Financial Crime Squad detectives have arrested former Richmond player and author of the explosive Hawthorn racism report, Phil Egan.

The author of the explosive Hawthorn racism report has been arrested and is ­expected to be charged on summons for allegedly stealing from a body set up to help indigenous communities.

Victoria Police financial crime squad detectives arrested former Richmond forward Phil Egan on Tuesday.

The Herald Sun revealed in December that he was under investigation over claims he fraudulently obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars from Murray Valley Aboriginal Co-operative, including via a bogus invoices scheme.

“Detectives from the financial crime squad have arrested a man today as part of an investigation into allegations of fraud relating to the management of a Robinvale-based ­organisation,” a Victoria Police spokesman said on Tuesday.

“A 60-year-old ­Aberfeldie man was interviewed earlier today by investigators. He has been released and is expected to be charged on summons with fraud-­related offences. The investigation ­remains ongoing.”

Phil Egan is accused of stealing from a body set up to help indigenous communities.

The alleged frauds involving Egan are understood to have taken place around 2010-2012, during which time he was a senior manager at the co-operative, including chief executive for a period.

The expected charges will have a significant impact on the ongoing AFL-commissioned independent investigation into the Hawks report’s conclusions and processes.

A lawyer for one of the ­accused Hawthorn officials said in December that charges against Egan would be a “game-changer”.

“Storm clouds are gathering over the integrity of the Hawthorn FC-commissioned report,” the lawyer said.

Egan has been arrested and is ­expected to be charged on summons.

“If Mr Egan is proved to have engaged in serious wrongdoing, such as to have harmed his own First Nations’ community by the removal of funds, what confidence can anyone have in any investigation process he has managed?”

Egan’s damning report on Hawthorn’s handling of indigenous players stunned the football world when it was leaked in September.

The report concluded that between 2010 and 2016, Alastair Clarkson, Chris Fagan and Jason Burt used “bullying and intimidation” against Indigenous players and their partners, two of whom had been pregnant and lost their unborn children during the “traumatic events”.

It described some incidents as so serious as “to amount to human rights abuses”, triggering Clarkson and Fagan to temporarily stand down from their senior coach roles at North Melbourne and Brisbane Lions respectively, despite both categorically denying any wrongdoing.

In a statement released in December when the allegations surfaced, Egan declared: “I categorically deny that I have stolen from the Murray Valley Aboriginal Co-operative in any way whatsoever.”