Police squad under scrutiny over alleged kidnap plot

A FRAUD squad is being investigated after it failed to act on knowledge that Clive Palmer’s media adviser was involved in an alleged kidnap plot.

A QUEENSLAND police fraud squad is being investigated after it failed to act on knowledge that Clive Palmer’s media adviser Andrew Crook was involved in an alleged kidnap plot.

Days after the alleged unlawful detention of one of its ­employees in Indonesia in 2013, the National Australia Bank provided the fraud squad with a 109-page statement from the worker, the ABC reported last night. The statement, along with a “full briefing”, was reportedly given to the squad on January 30.

The Crime and Corruption Commission is now conducting an investigation of the squad’s failure to act on the detailed ­evidence, after a formal referral from the police anti-bikies unit, Taskforce Maxima.

A senior Queensland police source told the ABC that members of the fraud squad were ­“really shitting themselves” over the investigation into the handling of the NAB complaint.

Last month, Gold Coast private investigator Mick Featherstone and Mr Crook were charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, retaliating against a witness and attempted fraud, over the alleged kidnapping of an NAB employee to get him to change his evidence in a $68 million court case.

An arrest warrant was also ­issued for former Sydney Swans footballer Tony Smith, who now lives in Bali, in relation to the case. Mr Smith took NAB to court after he lost tens of millions on a Gold Coast building project and in shares in failed mortgage broker MFS.

The ABC reported that none of the three men was interviewed by the squad two years ago and NAB is now pushing for a full ­investigation of the incident.

The ABC said Taskforce Maxima’s officers had uncovered emails relating to the ­alleged kidnapping as well as ­evidence of alleged money-­laundering by Mr Featherstone through his company Phoenix Global, which the unit had not followed up.

The emails allegedly referred to a plot to lure NAB employee Adam Gregory Gazal to an Indonesian island in January 2013 with a fake job opportunity as “global financial officer” for Mr Palmer, who knew nothing of the plot.

A senior police source told the ABC officers had ­approached the bank and the bank responded: “We already told you about this.” Officers found no record of any complaint having been ­received by the squad. “There were no records — zero,” a senior investigator told the ABC. “At best it’s complete indolence.”

The CCC has neither confirmed nor denied the investi­gation, but the Queensland Police Service confirmed to the ABC it had launched a review into the handling of the case and would not comment further as the matter was before the courts.

Mr Featherstone and Mr Crook will front court on January 27.