Whistleblower Michael Fitzgerald made seven statements to police sparking seven-year Operation Omega.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This week former Framlingham Aboriginal Trust administrator Geoff Clark, his wife Trudi and two of their sons, Jeremy and Aaron, have faced a committal hearing in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court.
They have been charged with a combined 1171 fraud-related offences but Geoff Clark has always maintained his family's innocence, labelling the investigation a witch hunt.
Mr Fitzgerald's statements were tendered to the court this week.
They reveal inner workings of the Framlingham trust and its business arm Kirrae Whurrong Community Inc.
They reveal efforts to woo a Thai businessman to bankroll an exclusive golf course, a plan to breed goldfish and grow herbs and Geoff's Western Australian block.
The trust's former bookkeeper previously labelled some of the ideas hair-brained schemes.
Former Aboriginal Affairs Victoria executive director Ian Hamm told the court this week that Mr Fitzgerald did the grunt work and Geoff Clark was the ideas man.
Mr Fitzgerald said that in the mid 2000s there was a proposal to turn some of the Deen Maar property at Yambuk into an exclusive tourist hotel and links golf course.
"The golfer Peter Thompson's business partner Ross Perrett came down to Framlingham to discuss the viability of creating this multi-million-dollar complex," he said.
"Coadys solicitor Mark Yorston and Geoff Clark went to Thailand to seek the funds for the development from a Thailand businessman and politician who was high up in their government."
Mr Fitzgerald in his statement said he heard the trust paid the airfares and expenses.
"Some time later I heard that a Thai politician came to Deen Maar to look at the property and met Clark and others to discuss the proposed development," he said.
"Nothing came of these discussion."
Read more:
Another proposal was aquaculture and aquaponics - breeding goldfish and growing herbs.
Mr Fitzgerald said in his statement that during 2008-09 Geoff Clark and an associate Neil Martin planned to set up an aquaculture business named Hopkins River herbs.
The plan was to breed goldfish and grow fresh herbs using the fertilized water recycled from the fish ponds.
"The infrastructure for this project (pumps, tanks, trays and hot houses) was purchased by FAT," he said.
"All of this equipment, plus the set-up costs and additional water supply tanks (6000 gallons) was supplied by FAT. This business was owned and managed by a company set up by Mark Yorstan (solicitor) called Korac Investments."
Mr Fitzgerald said there were three shareholders in Korac - Geoff's son Aaron, Mr Martin and a friend of Mr Martin, Warrnambool doctor Chris Beaton.
It appears the project never took off.
Mr Fitzgerald alleged Geoff Clark had the lease on a block of land at Fitzroy Crossing, 400 kilometres east of Broome, in Western Australia.
He said when he worked in the ATSIC office Geoff Clark requested he engage with the WA Lands Department with a view to having the title transferred.
"Geoff Clark had an arrangement with the official leaseholder (K. Walker) to pay for yearly lease rates and water supply costs to the block as a part-payment for the purchase of the lease," he said.
He alleged this arrangement continued for a number of years because "Clark had me organise payments with (bookkeeper) Allan Thomas".
"A friend of Clark's from Warrnambool, Rodney Hand, is still living on the block," Mr Fitzgerald claimed when he signed a statement in 2015.
Mr Fitzgerald said that during the 2000s Clark was also paid a monthly rental by Frank Hodge who conducted a freight business out of a shed on the block.
"Clark directed me to organise for the transfer of the lease to his name," he said.
"I made numerous representations to the WA Lands Department in relation to having the title transferred, but this (transfer) did not occur on my watch," he said.
The committal hearing before magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg continues.
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.