Almost 5 years since he first came forward to assist police in the AWU Scandal, Ralph Blewitt was today charged by WA Police with 31 counts of causing detriment to a person by deception - more commonly known as fraud.

He has been bailed on his own undertaking to appear in the Perth Magistrates' Court next Wednesday morning.

He has not been served with a police brief of evidence, nor has he had the particulars of the offences police allege against him explained.

The WA Police describe the charge of fraud on their website

What is fraud?

Fraud is broadly defined as any person who, with intent to defraud, by deceit or any fraudulent means so as to gain a benefit directly or for another person, or cause detriment to any person or organisation directly or indirectly.

This may include;

• Obtaining property or persuade any person to deliver property to another.
• Gain a benefit or cause a loss, (financial or otherwise to another person).
• To induce any person to withhold from acting lawfully or undertake any act that the person is lawfully entitled to withhold from doing.

Note: The term person, or any word or expression descriptive of a person includes a public body, company, or association or body of persons, corporate or unincorporated.

ENDS

As I understand it, police allege that Thiess was deceived by each of the 31 false invoices used to transmit the secret commission payments from Thiess to the Ludwig/Wilson/Gillard/Blewitt slush fund. 

I predict that charges of deception on Thiess will fail because Thiess knew exactly what it was paying for, there was no deception, there were secret commissions. Let's see what a court thinks.

Ralph Blewitt urgently needs a lawyer - if you know someone interested in taking Ralph on as a client I will be happy to pass on his details but I can't and won't act as an intermediary, the relationship must be solely with Ralph.