Lawyers assisting the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption have called for a recommendation of criminal charges against Dave Hanna, former CMFEU Queensland president, and two former executives of Mirvac.
The charges would centre around alleged corrupt payments, which saw Hanna receive $150,000 free work on his home. The work was completed while Hanna held the position of Queensland secretary of the Builders Labourers Federation.
Barristers made a submission that Hanna, alongside Adam Moor and Mathew McAllum, may have committed offences under state laws relating to secret commissions.
The sentence for being found guilty of this crime is up to seven years’ jail time.
The commission heard in recent months that the payments for the work were made under the guise of a construction project that Mirvac was completing 30 kilometres away from Hanna’s home.
“David Hanna received the free goods and services knowing they were being given in the hope or expectation that he would not exercise [or refrain from exercising] his powers as a union official in a manner, adverse to Mirvac, Adam Moore and Mathew McAllum,” the lawyers’ submission stated.
The submission also claimed that there was insufficient evidence to recommend a similar finding in relation to Mirvac itself.
Separately, counsel assisting the commission has cast doubt on the credibility of a key construction industry whistleblower whose claims of union corruption helped spark the inquiry.
Hanna, Moore and McAllum will be given an opportunity to respond to the submission.
The commission will ultimately decide whether to accept the call for criminal charges.
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