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Corrupt Health Department trio told to pay back monies

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Dylan CapornThe West Australian
VideoThe Corruption and Crime Commission will serve notices of demand on three former health executives.

Three crooked Health Department officials who were exposed in last week’s bombshell Corruption and Crime Commission report on a decades-long bribery scandal have until midday tomorrow to respond to payment demands from the State Government.

WA Attorney-General John Quigley confirmed yesterday that disgraced former health executives John Fullerton, David Mulligan and Shaun Ensor would be served with notices of demand for repayment of more than $600,000 in redundancy payouts and thousands of dollars corruptly obtained.

The CCC report exposed a covert network of bureaucrats and contractors working corruptly to issue projects without proper tender processes and use taxpayer funds to shower the executives with lunches and travel and, in one case, to renovate Mr Fullerton’s house.

“We’re moving with all speed to try and claw as much of this back as we can — it is outrageous that the taxpayers have been the subject of such criminality by trusted public servants,” Mr Quigley said.

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“I am really offended that there are people out there in the community struggling in these economic circumstances and they’re made mugs of by these public servants who have just creamed them.

“I am full of resolve to use all legal avenues to pull this back for the taxpayer.”

Former Health Dept official Shaun Ensor.
Camera IconFormer Health Dept official Shaun Ensor. Credit: Michael Wilson

But Mr Quigley conceded the task of recouping the money would be difficult.

“The clawing back of this money is complicated in view of the Government’s earlier decision and the recent decision to offer redundancy,” he said.

“It’s not going to be easy to get this money back, but we’re going to take all measures to take it back.

“They will be served with notices of demand for full repayment and those notices will go out and be personally served today, requiring a response by noon on Wednesday.”

Mr Quigley said there was the issue of confiscation of profits “because quite clearly some of these funds went to the improvement of Mr Fullerton’s house”.

He also flagged contractors tied up in the scandal — including Fox United Building’s Philip Wood, who told The West Australian yesterday how easy the scam was — would also be issued with demands in the near future.

Finance Minister Ben Wyatt confirmed that Cabinet would discuss which agency would co-ordinate a government-wide audit of projects contracted to the companies.

“The audit has started and agencies are going through their own contracts already,” he said. “Clearly there needs to be some central co-ordination of this — I suspect Treasury, Finance and the Department of Premier and Cabinet would be involved.”

Shadow minister for government accountability Tjorn Sibma said the Government needed to act quickly to restore public confidence in procurement and that a wide-ranging review of the practices was needed.

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