Ex-Labor candidate ordered to complete community work
Former Melbourne mayor and ex-Labor candidate served with a community corrections order, after lying to IBAC about involvement in taxpayer-funded rort.
A former Melbourne mayor and ex-Labor candidate has avoided jail and been ordered to complete hundreds of hours of community service after lying to Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog about his involvement in a taxpayer-funded rort.
Justin Mammarella withdrew as a Labor candidate in 2018 over his involvement in a printing scheme which allegedly saw fake invoices worth $200,000 billed to parliament. The money was then used to pay for Labor Party memberships.
In a statement on Monday, IBAC said Mr Mammarella — a former Melton Mayor — and his father Robert conspired to give false evidence to IBAC about the use of stationery within the Cairnlea electorate office in 2018.
“IBAC’s Operation Naxos investigated allegations of fraudulent practices within the electorate office of former member of the Victorian parliament Khalil Eideh,” a statement read.
“The allegations related to the misuse of taxpayer funded resources to assist Justin Mammarella’s preselection campaign for the 2018 state election through branch stacking.”
The 2017 Herald Sun reports sparked a 15-month IBAC investigation which saw four people charged over rort, known as the “cash-for-stacks” scheme.
Mr Mammarella pleaded guilty in the Melbourne County Court earlier this month to conspiring to attempt to pervert the course of justice, perjury and possessing an imitation firearm without the proper permit.
He was ordered to serve a three-year community correction order, with 375 hours of community work.
His father pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiring to pervert the course of justice and one charge of perjury. He was ordered to pay $12,000 and sentenced to a community correction order.
Had he not pleaded guilty, Judge Rosemary Carlin indicated she would have sentenced him to two years in jail.
The news came after a joint IBAC and Ombudsman’s investigation into widespread misuse of public resources in the Labor Party.
Dubbed Operation Watts, the landmark investigation prompted Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews to agree to implement a host of recommendations to ensure the state parliament is not embroiled in a similar integrity crisis again.
About four months out from the state election, Operation Watts reported egregious misconduct committed by some factional members of the Victorian Labor Party, including the misuse of electorate officers and ministerial staff to pursue factional agendas, branch stacking and nepotism.
It did not find evidence that community grants were used to pay for ALP memberships, but members of the Moderate Labor faction did seek to “improperly influence” the process.
Mr Andrews committed to install an integrity commissioner and a new ethics watchdog will be set up to police the conduct of Victorian MPs.
More Coverage
Pesutto’s future remains in balance as Libs still split
It’s D-Day for John Pesutto as Liberal chiefs prepare to meet on Thursday night to vote on a $1.5m deal to save him.
Marles is betraying Australia with his AUKUS fantasy
The Defence Minister’s statement amounts to nothing more than a careless betrayal of the country’s policy agency and independence in its ability to make decisions in its own national interest.