Labor MP Ernest Wong and restaurateur Jonathan Yee are facing court over allegedly circumventing election funding laws
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New South Wales prosecutors have launched proceedings against two state Labor officials after they allegedly disguised donations to Chris Minns during his election campaign almost a decade ago.
On Tuesday, the NSW Electoral Commission revealed the director of public prosecution had begun proceedings against former Labor MP Ernest Wong and restaurateur Jonathan Yee. The commission commenced an investigation in 2019 into a “potential scheme to circumvent” election funding laws during the campaign to elect Minns for the seat of Kogarah.
“In the proceedings, it will be alleged that between 28 October 2014 and 12 August 2015 at Sydney and at other places in the State of New South Wales, Mr Yee and Mr Wong carried out a scheme to circumvent a prohibition or requirement under Part 6 of the [Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981],” the commission said in a statement on Tuesday.
The premier has not been accused of any wrongdoing and the commission said “no other matters” had been sent to the DPP following its investigation.
The commission said it became aware of the potential alleged breach during the 2019 Independent Commission Against Corruption’s Operation Aero investigation, which in 2022 found Wong had engaged in corrupt conduct by concealing illegal political donations by Chinese property developer, Huang Xiangmo.
Icac also recommended the DPP’s advice to potentially prosecute a number of other individuals be sought, including Yee.
The inquiry heard the pair were involved in concealing a donation of $10,000 to the Minns campaign made in 2014 during a Labor party fundraiser.
The commission said it provided materials to the NSW DPP between March and May this year after it received materials from the Public Accountability and Works Committee of the NSW parliament relating to the investigation.
The commission said it had decided to disclose the information because it was in the public interest. It noted that recent changes to the Electoral Act 2017 meant it could disclose some information about its investigation.
“In determining whether it is appropriate to disclose such information at this time, the Electoral Commission has taken into account the strong public interest in supporting the administration of justice, fairness to individuals and the integrity of the NSW electoral funding system,” the commission wrote.
“As the matters arising from the EC Investigation are now before the courts, the Electoral Commission considers it is not in the interest of the administration of justice to make any further statement at this time.”
On Tuesday, the NSW parliament held a hearing investigating donations made to the Kogarah campaign during 2014–2016.
During the hearing, the NSW electoral commissioner, Rachel McCallum, said “the two defendants mentioned in the statement are the only two people that have been referred for prosecution, and that we do not have any active lines of inquiry in relation to this investigation”.
A spokesperson for the premier said in a statement: “It is a matter of public record that donations were received in good faith at the time, but subsequently repaid.
“The Premier has been open and completely emphatic in rejecting any wrongdoing from the very beginning.”
Source: Guardian - World News
