Former Central Goldfields Shire chief executive Mark Johnston has been charged with 26 further offences following a investigation by the Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate – taking his tally to 67 charges in total.
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The new charges relate to obtaining a financial advantage by deception for alleged misuse of a corporate credit card over several periods between August 2009 and September 2013.
This is in addition to the 41 charges served on Johnston by the LGICI in July, which included two charges under the Local Government Act relating to conflict of interest, 34 charges under the Crimes Act relating to obtaining financial advantage by deception, and five charges of false accounting.
The charges were filed in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday and the matter is listed for initial mention at the Maryborough Magistrates Court on December 14.
Johnston, who served as Central Goldfields Shire CEO for 22 years, resigned from his position in August after being stood down indefinitely in July.
The state government in August sacked Central Goldfields Shire Council following revelations of extensive financial and governance failures by the shire.
Fairfax Media obtained details of the initial 41 charges pressed against Mark Johnston by the LGICI. The charges are that Johnston allegedly:
Exercised a delegated power or delegated duty without disclosing a conflict of interest. (Two charges)
Obtained a financial advantage by deception, making his employer pay his tax liability on his superannuation without authorisation. (14 charges)
Obtained a financial advantage by deception, using a credit card issued to him by his employer for an unauthorised transaction. (20 charges)
Dishonestly causing a loss by furnishing information to the shire he knew to be false. (Five charges)
The financial cost of the charges against Johnston totals $38,837.65, ranging from just $7 for one of the credit card misuses to $9277.09 for one of the tax liability payments.