Former senior West Australian bureaucrat Paul Whyte has faced Perth Magistrates’ Court charged with more than 500 offences.
Camera IconFormer senior West Australian bureaucrat Paul Whyte has faced Perth Magistrates’ Court charged with more than 500 offences. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

‘Corrupt’ WA bureaucrat behind bars

AAPWestern Suburbs Weekly

A SENIOR bureaucrat accused with two others of Western Australia’s biggest public sector theft is behind bars after failing to produce a $1.5 million surety.

Former Department of Communities executive Paul Whyte, 56, faced Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday via video link from Hakea Prison for a hearing in regards to privileged material.

Whyte has signalled he will plead guilty to more than 500 charges in relation to the alleged $22 million fraud.

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His lawyer Michael Tudori told the court Whyte had been unable to arrange the surety and his bail conditions imposed last week, which included a similar personal undertaking, might need to be altered before his next court appearance on February 3.

The material in question related to two items seized from Whyte’s house – a spiral notebook and an envelope addressed to his former lawyer, Seamus Rafferty, which is believed to have contained a suicide note detailing his alleged misconduct.

Mr Tudori said Whyte was not seeking for the items to be deemed privileged and magistrate Deen Potter ruled they would be made available to the court.

The court last week heard Whyte’s mental health had stabilised since surviving a serious attempt on his own life at his Mosman Park home.

Whyte subsequently spent almost a month in hospital under an involuntary psychiatric order before securing bail for a second time.

Whyte and physiotherapist Jacob Anthonisz, 43, are each facing 530 charges after allegedly raising false invoices for three shelf companies dating back to 2008.

Bookkeeper Paola Colangelo, 45, has pleaded not guilty to acting in concert with the two men.

Whyte and Anthonisz are alleged to have spent the money on racehorses, paying a horse stud service in New Zealand, and personal expenses and bills.

Prosecutors allege Anthonisz had been the director and account holder of the three shelf companies – iValuate, Boldline and Quadrant Analytics.

Anthonisz also faced court on Thursday and was granted bail of $1.5 million with a similar surety.

Mr Potter said his charges would be amended to reflect that he had been aiding Whyte’s alleged corruption as a public officer.

Anthonisz will also face court again on February 3.

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