The CFMEU official who lied to a Royal Commission, got sacked (a bit) but is still with the CFMEU
Tuesday, 28 October 2014
CFMEU organiser Sammy Manna was the subject of this adverse finding by the Cole Royal Commission in its final report dated February, 2003 (Page 117, TCB Concreters).
65 Manna was not called to give evidence until Friday, 28 June 2002. He thus had between
Saturday and the following Friday to consider the content of his statement. The material
contained in that statement was so personally damaging and destructive of the credit of
Joanne Messina that I determined to take her evidence, when she was cross-examined in
relation to these matters, in confidential session. Joanne Messina denied emphatically and
completely each and every allegation which was put against her of infidelity with Manna.
66 After Joanne Messina had concluded her evidence, Manna was called in confidential session and he was examined. He gave detailed evidence concerning what he said were four
meetings in which he met Joanne Messina at a coffee shop; that he went to three different
places, although at times he said it was the same place; that he and Joanne Messina kissed on
one occasion and had intercourse on three.
67 On 2 July 2002 Manna gave further evidence, in confidential session, in which he completely withdrew every one of the allegations concerning his alleged sexual relationship with Joanne Messina and acknowledged that they were entirely false. The reason that he has ascribed for concocting this story is that he wished to get back at Joanne Messina, and to cause her embarrassment and public humiliation. Manna apologised to Joanne Messina and to the Commission.
68 I then concluded that Salvatore Manna had demonstrated by his own words that he is a man of no credit, and that the whole of his evidence to the Commission must be considered against the background that he consciously, and for the purpose of seeking revenge, lied on oath to the Commission. I remain of that view.
69 I directed that the Solicitor for the Commission refer certain matters concerning Manna’s
evidence to the New South Wales Police Service for further investigation. I also directed that
the transcript of Salvatore Manna’s evidence be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions
for consideration as to whether charges should be brought in respect of perjury, false swearing or otherwise, against the provisions of the Royal Commissions Act 1902 (C’wth).
The Sydney Morning Herald published this story by Brad Norington on 31 March, 2003.
Official who resigned after lying on oath is rehired for same postA union official who lied to the Cole royal commission was back working for the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union within months of having been encouraged to leave because of his perjured evidence. "Sammy" Manna resigned from his job as union organiser last year after he admitted to lying on oath about having a secret affair with a woman who co-owned a concrete pouring company. Among strenuous efforts made to demonstrate its clean image compared with other state branches, the union's NSW branch stressed publicly at the time that Mr Manna would no longer work for it. However, some months later he was quietly re-employed in the same job as an organiser in the concrete sector by the union's state secretary, Andrew Ferguson. Mr Ferguson's decision to rehire Mr Manna is strikingly similar to his reaction in the case of another CFMEU official, Vriduar Vega, who was among front-line rioters at Parliament House in Canberra in 1996. At the time, Mr Ferguson accepted Mr Vega's resignation. He was given a "disciplinary absence" of six months and then quietly rehired. Mr Ferguson was unavailable for comment yesterday. In findings last week the royal commissioner Terence Cole said Mr Manna had demonstrated by his own words that he was "a man of no credit". "The whole of his evidence to the commission must be considered against the background that he consciously, and for the purpose of seeking revenge, lied on oath to the commission." Last June Mr Manna told the commission he had had sex three times in the back of his union car near a Fairfield rubbish tip with Joanne Messina, who ran a struggling concrete pouring business with her husband. Mr Manna later recanted the evidence and faces possible charges for perjury and false swearing. |
Manna is currently an organiser, he's listed on the CFMEU website here.
On 23 August 2014 the SMH published a lengthy story by Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker titled "Dangerous Liaisons". The article details many of George Alex's criminal associates. It includes this paragraph:
When the erratic armed-robber and attempted murderer Adriano Manna left jail but couldn't find work, his father, construction union organiser Sammy Manna (who was one of the CFMEU officials overseeing Alex's firms) asked Alex to hire him. This arrangement was approved by union boss Brian Parker.
The CFMEU apparently does not value telling the truth.