By Laura Wakely
FORMER Brimbank councillor Tran Siu has been ordered to pay $11,500 after he was found guilty of distributing two unregistered how to vote cards.
Mr Siu appeared in the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court last week, charged with distributing unregistered how-to-vote cards in the lead up to his 2008 election to the Harvester Ward of Brimbank City Council and lying to Local Government Inspectorate investigators.
Mr Siu pleaded guilty to both charges, requesting that he pay a fine without conviction.
Magistrate Peter Mellas found Mr Siu guilty on each count, ordering him to pay a $1500 fine and $10,000 to cover the costs of the investigation.
The court heard Mr Siu had lied to local government inspectors in 2009, telling them he did not authorise the unregistered how-to-vote cards to be printed or distributed.
But Australian Federal Police investigations traced the two unregistered how-to-vote cards to a Konica Minolta Printer owned by Suncopy Pty Ltd in Laverton North.
Further inquiries found Suncopy had printed 8000 of the cards at the request of Mr Siu, who had paid for the printing with his own credit card.
The conviction means Mr Siu will be ineligible to run for political office for seven years, ruling him out of the 2012 Brimbank Council elections.
In handing down the sentence, Mr Mellas said Mr Siu, a former Brimbank Young Australian of the Year, had once had “enormous prospects”.
“The public, when they vote, is entitled to rely on the integrity of the system,” Mr Mellas said.
“There needs to be deterrents so that you don’t cross this line again.”
The conviction was a “relief” for Sunshine Residents and Ratepayers Association (SUNRRA) president Darlene Reilly.
“It’s a bit disappointing that it took two and a half years to get to this point and that Mr Siu maintained his position for all this time at a great cost to the Government and other departments,” Ms Reilly said.
The Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate also welcomed the court ruling.
“This outcome sends a very strong message to local government councillors and candidates of the importance of the democratic electoral process and the ramifications for those who attempt to subvert it,” an Inspectorate spokesperson said.
Star contacted Mr Siu, but he declined to comment.
