The department had originally been made aware the land could have been purchased in January, 2011.
By January 2013, the Ottones had received close to $1.3 million in payments from the department before the completion of the housing project in 2014.
CCC acting commissioner Scott Ellis, in an opening statement, told the hearing at the very best the department had missed out on an opportunity to buy some cheap land.
“At worst, there was corrupt diversion of funds for housing to underwrite Mr Whytes gambling,” he said.
Mr Michell, who says he was involved in the buying and selling of several blocks of land in the Pilbara during the mining boom, provided inconsistent evidence to the hearing around the timing of events involving the block th…
Read the full article at: https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/corrupt-government-official-s-bookie-faces-ccc-hearing-over-pilbara-land-deal-20201207-p56lbu.html