This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jun/20/former-ipswich-mayor-paul-pisasale-arrested-and-charged
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale arrested and charged | Former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale arrested and charged |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale has been charged with extortion and two other charges, a fortnight after he resigned citing ill health amid a Crime and Corruption Commission investigation. | Former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale has been charged with extortion and two other charges, a fortnight after he resigned citing ill health amid a Crime and Corruption Commission investigation. |
| Pisasale, 65, one of Australia’s most electorally successful mayors until he announced his resignation from a hospital, was arrested by Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) officers in Ipswich on Tuesday. | |
| He was taken into custody at the Brisbane watchhouse and charged with one count of extortion and two other charges, the CCC said in a statement. | He was taken into custody at the Brisbane watchhouse and charged with one count of extortion and two other charges, the CCC said in a statement. |
| Glen Cranny, a criminal defence lawyer acting for Pisasale, said he was unable to offer immediate comment when contacted by the Guardian following the arrest. | Glen Cranny, a criminal defence lawyer acting for Pisasale, said he was unable to offer immediate comment when contacted by the Guardian following the arrest. |
| Pisasale, a longtime multiple sclerosis sufferer, checked into an Ipswich hospital on 5 June, fronting a media conference in a gown and slippers the next day to announce his decision to quit. | |
| He made no mention of a CCC investigation, including raids on Ipswich council premises and his home the day before, that was apparently related to the seizure of $50,000 in cash by the Australian federal police in Melbourne in April. | He made no mention of a CCC investigation, including raids on Ipswich council premises and his home the day before, that was apparently related to the seizure of $50,000 in cash by the Australian federal police in Melbourne in April. |
| Pisasale was about to board a plane back to Brisbane with the $50,000 in a suitcase when it was seized by police as suspected proceeds of crime. | Pisasale was about to board a plane back to Brisbane with the $50,000 in a suitcase when it was seized by police as suspected proceeds of crime. |
| A barrister and friend of Pisasale, Sam Di Carlo, subsequently came out in defence of Pisasale, saying he had asked the then mayor to transport the cash for a client as part of a legal settlement. | A barrister and friend of Pisasale, Sam Di Carlo, subsequently came out in defence of Pisasale, saying he had asked the then mayor to transport the cash for a client as part of a legal settlement. |
| Pisasale served as 13 years as Ipswich mayor, winning the 2016 council election with 83% of the vote. | Pisasale served as 13 years as Ipswich mayor, winning the 2016 council election with 83% of the vote. |