Trevor John Close, a former director of Githabul Nation Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC, today pleaded guilty in the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney to three charges brought by the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, Anthony Beven.
In June 2016 Mr Close was charged with three counts of dishonestly misusing his position as a corporation director to gain an advantage for himself, contrary to section 265-25(3)(a) of the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act). It is alleged that in 2013 Mr Close used the proceeds of sale from a property owned by Githabul Nation to pay the rent for his private home in Sydney. Mr Close faces a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment and/or a fine of $10,200.00.
Githabul Nation was incorporated in 2006 and is registered under the CATSI Act. It was established to manage the native title rights and interests of the Githabul people of northern New South Wales. On 29 November 2007 the Federal Court made a consent determination recognising the Githabul people’s native title rights and interests over 1,120 square kilometres of national parks and state forests around Kyogle in northern New South Wales.
Magistrate George today ordered a pre-sentencing report for Mr Close and adjourned the matter to 4 April 2017 for a sentence hearing.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions is prosecuting the matter.
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ORIC MR1617-16
7 February 2017