Precisely who knew what and when is not certain. However, what is certain is that the NSW State Government is inept and cannot be trusted.
One would like to know if these revelations impinge on Ben's case. (cf in links)
Precisely who knew what and when is not certain. However, what is certain is that the NSW State Government is inept and cannot be trusted.
Orkopoulos 'tipped off'
ReplyDeleteBy Bruce McDougall and Simon Benson
THE Iemma Government has been rocked by explosive claims that convicted paedophile Milton Orkopoulos was tipped off by senior parliamentary officials that police were investigating him.
The new allegation by former electorate officer Gillian Sneddon throws serious doubt on the Government's insistence it was unaware of the Orkopoulos investigation before the disgraced MP's arrest in November, 2006.
Mrs Sneddon accused a senior parliamentary official of holding a meeting with Orkopoulos shortly after she phoned an officer at Parliament and revealed she was helping police.
The official is now under pressure to answer whether he informed the then speaker and Labor MP John Aquilina about the allegations.
The current Speaker Richard Torbay, who took over from Mr Aquilina after the 2007 election, said on hearing the claims he immediately contacted the official and demanded a detailed response to the claims.
The official was unavailable yesterday but Premier Morris Iemma denied there had been a cover-up.
He insisted he first learned of the allegations against Orkopoulos only hours before announcing the arrest of the former Aboriginal affairs minister on November 8, 2006.
"No one did (know) . . . there is no suggestion of a cover-up," he said.
Ms Sneddon, Orkopoulos's former electorate officer in the seat of Swansea, said she helped collect evidence for police and told a parliamentary official about the investigation on September 11, 2006.
"Soon after that, the official from Parliament sat down with Milton and had a meeting with him to tell him about it," she told Radio 2GB's Ray Hadley.
"This was a covert police operation and by Milton knowing about it, that was in fact endangering my life."
Ms Sneddon, made redundant the day she began giving evidence in the ex-MP's trial, said Parliament had effectively protected Orkopoulos.
She showed The Daily Telegraph a statement from Parliament's employee and corporate services manager Elaine Schofield which was supplied as part of her worker's compensation claim.
In part the statement said: "(The official) and I had a meeting with Milton Orkopoulos arising out of Ms Sneddon's absence and workers' compensation claim.
"During that meeting Mr Orkopoulos acknowledged he was aware that a police investigation was being conducted in relation to him.
"He indicated to us that they were old matters that had previously been dealt with by police and they were being rehashed.
"He indicated that the allegations were promoted by his wife's former husband and . . . they related to interference with a young male."
Ms Sneddon said colleagues at the Swansea electorate office told Orkopoulos of her role in the police operation, photocopying documents.
"And what did Parliament do - they had the locks changed to keep me out. Because I was assisting police, Milton obviously conspired with Parliament to have me locked out. So in effect what Parliament was doing . . . they were protecting the subject of the police inquiry, they were locking out the police witness."
Orkopoulos is awaiting sentencing after being convicted last week on 28 child sex and drug charges.