Tony Nutt statement on Liberal & Greens preference deal - or as Tony says, non-deal. Yet.
UK police chief cops caning from Muslims - terror exercise too realistic - apologises for Jihadi yelling Allah uh-Akhbar

Legal Services Board of Victoria says the $67K for the Kerr St house came from Ralph, not the AWU WRA Inc

Earlier today we posted a copy of our 29 May 2013 complaint to the Legal Services Board of Victoria.

We asked the Board to investigate the serious ongoing effects of: 

AN IRREGULARITY IN THE SLATER AND GORDON TRUST ACCOUNT – Trust Account Receipt T2830, Mr Ralph Blewitt, $67,722.30 dated 22 March, 1993

On 31 May 2013 the LSB confirmed it had commenced preliminary enquiries.  Soon after it advised me that Victoria Police was the lead agency in a broader investigation of Slater and Gordon and its former employees, including the Trust Account and other related matters.

About one month ago there was some action

On 28 March 2016 Ralph Blewitt wrote to the LSB - copy here after writing to Slater and Gordon and Sciacca's without the courtesy of a reply from either.   Ralph wrote in part:

I understand the Legal Services Board is investigating the 22 March 1993 false entry in the Slater and Gordon Trust Account Ledger receipting $67, 722.30 from the AWU Workplace Reform Association Inc as purportedly coming from me. 

For the avoidance of doubt, here is the cheque by which the  AWU WRA Inc paid the money to Slater and Gordon.

Screen Shot 2016-05-10 at 3.54.40 pm
 

Ralph also advised the LSB about the significance and relevance to him of the fax from Sciaccas:

Document SG 500 0104, a facsimile dated 18 March 1993 from Sciaccas of Financial Document entitled Pay Slater and Gordon Trust Acc the Sum of Sixty Seven Thousand Seven Hundred & Twenty Two Dollars and Thirty Cents from  Commonwealth Bank of Australia to Slater & Gordon

Ralph's evidence about where the money came from and what he said about the deposit at the time should have been an important element of the LSB's inquiries. But the LSB didn't speak to Ralph, nor did it write to him, nor has his letter to the LSB been replied to.  

Maybe he'll have to wait 3 years for a response.   I did.   

Here's the result of the LSB's investigation of my complaint about the way the AWU WRA Inc's role in this transaction was concealed.  It's a wholly unsatisfactory response and you can rest assured I won't let it rest here.

Screen Shot 2016-05-10 at 4.04.38 pm

Firstly, my complaint was not simply about a Trust Account Ledger, my complaint included reference to the Receipt and the whole matter of the false and misleading accounting for monies used in a real property purchase, monies the LSB knew at the time of my report to be tainted.   The Trade Union Royal Commission found that money was the proceeds of crime.   The LSB in all those circumstances appears a little too keen by half to endorse a continuing false entry in the Trust Account, an entry that even the nominal beneficiary Ralph Blewitt says is a false entry.

The suggestion from Mr Bowles that the legislators intended the sentence "the name of the person from whom the monies were received" to mean couriers or office gofers like Ralph who went to the bank with a corporate entity's cheque and handed it over to the bank to credit into Slater and Gordon's account.

If the intention of the legislation is as the LSB suggests then I shall be reporting another false entry in the Trust Account for Ralph's matter.

On 29 April 1993 Ralph Blewitt wrote out a personal cheque for $2,000 to Slater and Gordon to bring the firm's costs up to date in the conveyance.

The Trust Account Ledger records that cheque as coming from RE &b JA Blewitt.  But that can't be right, Ralph and his wife were in Perth and that cheque was hand delivered.

With a note.   This note.

Screen Shot 2016-05-10 at 4.16.18 pm

So to apply the Legal Services Board interpretation of the legislation here as well as for the AWU WRA $67K cheque, the Trust Account Ledger should record the name of the person from whom the monies were received.   There's the record above in her own handwriting.

JEG.  Julia Eileen Gillard.

Consider the matter reported.

I would very much appreciate from our readers a sense of the response you would send to the LSB.

 

Comments