Bracks Watch

Why Did A Key Member of Bracks Faction Flee The Country?

Many of you may have heard of the case against Andrew Landeryou, a prominent member of Bracks' Labor Unity faction who fled the country in December last year. He is in trouble in relation to both corrupt dealings with Melbourne University Student Union (detailed accounts from the perspective of an independent left leaning member of the Student Union at the time can be found at Melbourne Scribe) and also a debt owed to Solomon Lew.

Andrew Landeryou left the country just days before he was due to give evidence in the Supreme Court of Victoria about his involvement with the Melbourne University Student Union. He has left a father, and a wife, holding the bag for his debts. And yet what was this over?

Andrew Landeryou is portrayed as the mastermind of the scheme to defraud Melbourne University Student Union who fled the country because of his involvement with the Melbourne University Student Union. However judgements against corporate criminals in this country aren't known for being particularly onerous, and besides that, Labor Unity hacks however are not known for their thin skins.

Fleeing the country is an excessive reaction to the problems we are told were facing Andrew Landeryou, a reaction that has burnt his bridges behind him and dramatically escalated the price he may one day have to pay for his actions. The assumption must be made that Andrew Landeryou is worried about more than a cross examination with the administrators of a student union and a debt to Solomon Lew. The question this begs is: What else does Andrew Landeryou have to fear?

Andrew Landeryou's father Bill was once a prominent member of Steve Bracks' Labor Unity faction, as Andrew was more recently. Throughout the 1990s, Andrew Landeryou was an important man within the Victorian Labor Unity universe, working amongst the same mix of union and ALP factional leaders that keep the Bracks government in power today with their control of stacked ALP branches throughout the State. It has been alleged that money gained from Andrew Landeryou's dealings has been used in factional battles for control of key unions around the State. Given patterns between Andrew Landeryou's dealings with Melbourne University Student Union and his dealings with IQ, it is hard to believe that the corruption didn't stretch even further, into the heart of Steve Bracks' Labor Unity faction.

Steve Bracks' and his factional friends need to come clean and reveal how much money they have received from Andrew Landeryou and associated companies, individuals and fictional identities.

posted by JP @ 7:19 PM