The ICAC’s been told that a staffer for disgraced member for Newcastle Tim Owen ” was certainly involved” in subverting political donation laws in the lead-up to the 2011 state election.
Hugh Thomson was Tim Owen’s campaign manager and allegedly devised a scheme where those who worked on Liberal Party campaigns would invoice third parties, who had been prohibited since 2009 from making political donations.
“If, for example, a media company did work for the campaign that invoice could be sent through a prohibited donor,” ICAC
Commissioner Megan Latham said.
“I was certainly involved in it,” said Mr Thomson.
Earlier in the day, Mr Thomson told the ICAC, a member of Tim Owen’s 2011 campaign team Luke Grant set up a fake twitter account that discredited Labor’s Jodi McKay. Jodi McKay and Luke Grant had previously worked together in 1999/2000 on a short-lived breakfast show on Newcastle radio station 2HD.
