The Australian newspaper today carries this report from Pia Akerman

Wilson fights to expunge ruling

EX-UNION official Bruce Wilson will fight to overturn a court ruling that ties him to a fraud by arguing that his former sidekick should have been called to testify about his knowledge of the AWU slush fund scandal.

An affidavit lodged by Mr Wilson's lawyer in the Victorian Supreme Court shows his appeal against Chief Magistrate Peter Lauritsen's decision to allow fraud detectives to inspect hundreds of documents will hinge on whether alleged bagman Ralph Blewitt should have given direct evidence about the case, instead of his statements to police being tendered to the court.

"The Honourable Chief Magistrate ruled the Blewitt statements admissible, on the basis that calling Blewitt, who resides in Malaysia, would cause undue expense and delay," solicitor Avi Furstenberg said in his affidavit. "No evidence was lead (sic) in respect of Blewitt's unavailability ... in the absence of any such evidence, the finding was not open to be made."

Mr Lauritsen last month ruled that Victoria Police could inspect 363 documents seized under warrant from Slater & Gordon, the law firm where Mr Wilson's former partner Julia Gillard worked when she provided legal advice to help establish the Australian Workers Union Workplace Reform Association.

You can read more at The Australian.

The Chief Magistrate's finding was that there had been a fraud and the documents otherwise protected by legal professional privilege were created in the furtherance of that fraud.

It will be interesting to hear Mr Wilson argue against that.