THE HON MARK DREYFUS QC MP
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
SENATOR CHRIS KETTER
SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND
CHAIR OF THE ECONOMIC REFERENCES COMMITTEE
THIESS BRIBERY CASE RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT ABC DIRECTOR
Further allegations of foreign bribery in The Age today suggest that Leighton Holdings dirty dealings overseas go far deeper than first thought.
Thiess, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leighton Holdings, is accused of burying an internal report disclosing a high likelihood of bribery conducted in India over a mining development.
Specifically, it alleges current board member of the ABC and the former chair of Leighton Holding ethics committee, Dr Kirstin Ferguson buried the internal report after it was bought to her attention by a whistleblower for four years.That whistleblower was reportedly forced out of Leighton Holdings in 2014.
The report must be immediately provided to the AFP, ASIC and the Senate Economics References Committee for the purposes of investigation. Prime Minister Turnbull and Communications Minister Mitch Fifield must disclose what checks were made into Dr Ferguson's corporate history before she was appointed to her prestigious position on the board of the ABC.
The Chair of the Economic References Committee, Senator Chris Ketter, is proposing to investigate the allegations against Leighton Holdings when parliament resumes.
THURSDAY, 7 APRIL 2016
