NAB staffer Rosemary Rogers’ alleged $3.8m home swindle

To secure $40 million of NAB contracts, Helen Rosamond allegedly bought Rosemary Rogers a house, BMW, and paid for luxury renovations.

Rosemary Rogers, the former National Australia Bank chief of staff charged with bribery and fraud, allegedly authorised a false invoice to the bank for $2.2 million, from her co-accused Helen Rosamond, just weeks after buying a house at Williamstown for $3.8 million.

Ms Rosamond’s corporate travel business, The Human Group, also paid a $380,000 deposit on the house on September 15, 2017 according to charges laid against the pair on Friday and Tuesday.

Details of the alleged fraud are on top of 56 counts of bribery involving lavish holidays to the US, Europe and Fiji, as well as frequent stays at Crown Towers in Melbourne and the exclusive Wolgan Valley retreat totalling $5.4 million.

Rosemary Rogers' property at Bellbrae. Picture: Supplied

Ms Rogers, the chief of staff to former NAB chief executive Andrew Thorburn and his predecessor Cameron Clyne, also allegedly received more than $850,000 in bank cheques, electronic fund transfers to personal bank accounts and prepaid Mastercards from The Human Group.

Ms Rosamond also allegedly paid nearly $600,000 for renovations at Ms Rogers’ property at Bellbrae, near Torquay.

Helen Rosamond. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

Police allege the bribes were paid to secure $40 million in contracts for The Human Group to provide services to NAB’s executives between 2013 and 2017.

According to the charges presented to the Central Local Court police allege between September 27 and November 23 Ms Rosamond submitted an unsubstantiated invoice from the Human Group to National Australia Bank to “dishonestly obtain a financial advantage” for $2.2 million.

Ms Rogers has been charged with dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage or causing disadvantage by deception by authorising the invoice while knowing it to be false.

Ms Rogers was on leave from NAB in December 2017 to move into her new Williamstown property when she was suddenly called back into the office for a one-on-one meeting with Mr Thorburn.

The house in Williamstown. Picture: Supplied

She resigned at that meeting and Mr Thorburn later told his executive team that his trusted gatekeeper had made a “lapse of judgment”.

Mr Thorburn is one of the 100 witness who have provided statements to the NSW Crime Commission strike force that was set up in February last year to investigate after the bank was contacted by a whistleblower.

Ms Rogers was arrested and charged yesterday after flying from Melbourne to Sydney and turning herself into police.

She was released on bail on condition that she not leave the Williamstown house between 9pm and 6am.

The Crime Commission has frozen more than $7.5 million of Rogers’ assets including the Williamstown house, Bellbrae property and a $172,162.21 BMW X5 that Rosamond bought for her in October 2014.

Ms Rosamond was arrested and released on bail of $200,000 on Friday.