PM lover Bruce Wilson's union rort exposed in 1995
- by: Steve Lewis
- From:The Daily Telegraph
- December 06, 201212:00AM
The former boyfriend of PM Julia Gillard, Bruce Wilson / Pic: Robert Mckell Source: The Daily Telegraph
A KEY witness in the Australian Workers Union scandal warned Julia Gillard's ex-boyfriend Bruce Wilson in 1995 he would "go to the slammer".
Bob Smith, a former Labor MP and AWU Victorian state secretary, made the explosive claim in an affidavit filed by union supremo Bill Ludwig.
Legal documents from 1995 reveal Mr Smith advised the AWU's national executive that "criminal charges" were likely following allegations of financial impropriety.
Mr Smith was the first to blow the whistle on Mr Wilson's role in establishing a series of unauthorised union accounts and drew attention to alleged fraud at a meeting of the union's finance committee in August 1995.
Last night, the retired Labor MP confirmed he'd been approached by Victorian fraud squad detectives investigating the union scandal.
"I am responding to their request for a statement," Mr Smith said. Victorian police are investigating claims of union fraud after former official Ralph Blewitt provided a 10-page statement to police two weeks ago.
According to an affidavit filed by Mr Ludwig in August 1995, the AWU finance committee heard Mr Smith had obtained legal advice in relation to a series of accounts related to Mr Wilson and his role as head of the union's national construction branch.
"We believe the matters concerning the administration of the national construction branch should be the subject of criminal charges," the advice tabled at the meeting said.
Mr Ludwig's affidavit went on to say: "Mr Smith then said to Mr Wilson, 'I reckon you'll go to the slammer'."
Ms Gillard's former boyfriend is accused of being the architect behind unauthorised accounts only discovered during investigations by AWU officials in late 1995.
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