ALPhigh jinksDETAILS of rampant branch-stacking, political cover-ups and long-running battles between Labor heavyweights were all contained in a secretly recorded conversation – now key evidence in the Sam Tabban bribery case.
Sexually derogatory remarks, gambling addiction and tax fraud were among the embarrassing details of Brimbank ALP high jinks revealed in court last week.
The tape contains former electorate officer Craig Otte talking candidly about the inner workings of the ALP.
Mr Otte is a former employee of Kororoit MP Andre Haermeyer, Tarneit MP Mary Gillett and past campaign manager for Brimbank mayor Natalie Suleyman.
Mr Tabban, who was wired with a recording device, made the tape over lunch with Mr Otte.
According to a transcript read out in court, Mr Otte told Mr Tabban that the bribery charge against him was part of a power-play between Kororoit MP Andre Haermeyer and Maribyrnong MP Bob Sercombe.
Mr Otte, in an exchange with Mr Tabban, agreed the former Brimbank councillor was not trying to bribe Cr Suleyman when we made an offer of using $15,000 to fund the re-election campaign of five councillors.
But in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last week, Mr Otte said he was lying to Mr Tabban to gain information about “his plans”.
He instead stood by a statement made to police in 2004, where he states Mr Tabban first offered the alleged bribe after a council meeting.
“After the meeting, Sam Tabban approached me and asked to have a private word in the committee room,” Mr Otte’s statement said.
“He asked about (the) mayoral election and asked whether I could get Natalie to vote for him. He said he was putting together a group of five and was planning to use his council allowance as a fund for re-election to share between them. Sam was in effect offering Natalie $3000 for voting for him at the upcoming mayoralty election.”
Mr Tabban’s defence counsel, Robert Richter, QC, asked Mr Otte why he lied in the recorded meeting.
“To work out what his strategy was,” Mr Otte told the court.
In another statement to police, Mr Otte said: “By that I mean to ensure that minimal damage was done to Brimbank Council and the ALP in general. I was trying to gain informa-tion, trying work out what his game-play was.”
Mr Richter also questioned claims Mr Otte “took the fall” for a sitting Labor MP.
According to the transcript, Mr Otte told Mr Tabban about an incident in 1996 when he was working for Ms Gillett.
“In 1996 she got into a bit of trouble,” Mr Otte told Mr Tabban.
“She was drinking, she lost her licence and got a lot of debt (sic). One of those debts was to do with some equipment that we got for the electoral office, some laptops.
“She couldn’t pay, she was about to go bankrupt – and I don’t know if you know that when you become bankrupt you can’t be an MP any more,” Mr Otte said.
“We worked out that we would help Mary out. We got charged for something – financial advantage or something. We got charged and went to court.”
In court last week, Mr Otte said there was no cover-up and that he concocted the statements.
Other excerpts from the taped conversation contain:
CLAIMS Mr Otte knows who put a bullet shell in a rival ALP member’s mailbox.
SEXUALLY explicit comments about a family member of a sitting Brimbank councillor.
CLAIMS a sitting Brimbank councillor has a gambling problem;
ACCUSATIONS an electorate officer of an Labor MP is paid cash to avoid tax.
CLAIMS some councillors regularly smoked in the Brimbank town hall contrary to smoking bans.
