Money Laundering
After receiving information about evidence of money laundering in pubs and clubs not reflected in the NSW Crime Commission’s report, I moved a motion in Parliament to call for all relevant documents held by the state’s electronic gaming machine regulators.
The process revealed that 125 documents showing potential money laundering in pubs and clubs held by Liquor and Gaming NSW were not given to the NSW Crime Commission. Other disturbing revelations include that Liquor and Gaming NSW forewarned clubs before doing compliance checks for money laundering, Liquor and Gaming NSW dissolved its money laundering investigation team despite warnings that it would result in a void in money laundering enforcement, and that Liquor and Gaming NSW partnered with a club described internally as “the biggest money laundering club in NSW” on an anti-gambling initiative. My sources also alerted me to documents that fell within the scope of the call for papers that have not been produced.
While the papers have now been produced and are publicly available – excluding intelligence sensitive documents which are only available to MPs – I am concerned that Liquor and Gaming attempted to frustrate the process through withholding and delaying documents. The Parliament’s power to call for papers is an important part of our democracy which helps ensure accountability in the public service. I will raise my concerns for consideration by the Parliament when it resumes.
If you would like to view the documents, you can make an appointment by calling (02) 9230 2111 and asking for the Legislative Assembly Table Office or emailing [email protected].
The Hansard reports > HERE and HERE. The Sydney Morning Herald reports > HERE and HERE