Sir Joh Case Study

Background

Sir Joh was charged over perjury after he gave evidence in the Fitzgerald inquiry into police corruption, which started in 1987 and ended in 1989.

The main bulk of the evidence concerned Sir Joh dealings with a Singaporean businessman. According to the evidence the Singaporean businessman made a political donation in a brown paper bag to win the development rights to build a hotel in Brisbane which was one of a chain in his portfolio called Heritage Hotels.

1. Joh Corruptly received $100 000 in cash from the Singaporean in September 1986 to commit the businessman’s companies Historic Holdings deal to build a hotel in Queensland which was formerly held by the old Port Office.

2. He Knowingly gave false evidence in the Fitzgerald inquiry on the 5th of December 1988 which was he only believed that Sng had plans to establish a hotel in Queensland.

Knowingly gave false testimony on 5 December 1988 that Sng gave the $100 000 to his secretary rather than to himself.

Sir Joh stated in his testimonial to the Fitzgerald corruption inquiry that he did not know where the money came from. Although he was found to have known where the money come from and was charged for perjury, the prosecution maintained that he willingly accepted the bribe.

Sir Joh's former police Special Branch bodyguard gave evidence on the perjury trial that Sergeant Bob Carter accepted bribes in 1986 which were packages of cash totalling to around $210,000 at Sir Joh's office. He was instructed by Joh to take the packages to a Brisbane law firm and make sure that the money was deposited in a company bank account.

The bank account was in the name of Kaldeal and operated by a trustee of the National Party, Edward Lyons. The Singaporean businessman gave evidence to the court that he gave envelopes containing $100,000 in cash to Sir Joh and National Party and the president Robert Sparkes, saying the money was for the ``Joh for PM''