Former South West TAFE manager files notice of discontinuance in alleged fraud case

Former South West TAFE executive manager Maurice Molan, training company TayTell owner and director Rebecca Taylor, her daughter Heather Snelleksz and associate Nicola Clifford appeared in Melbourne County Court on Tuesday for a directions hearing.

The group was charged by the state's anti-corruption agency in September 2020 as part of Operation Lansdowne, which examined allegations of serious corruption involving the Victorian vocational education and training, and transport sectors.

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More than 55 charges were laid against the four people, including conspiracy to defraud, obtaining financial advantage by deception, using and supplying identification information, misconduct in public office and unauthorised modification of data.

They pleaded not guilty in April last year and were committed to stand trial following a committal hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court earlier that month.

But on Tuesday the court heard a notice of discontinuance had been filed in relation to Mr Molan and Ms Clifford.

A notice of discontinuance asks prosecutors to not pursue a case.

The court heard time was needed for the OPP to consider the applications.

The matter was adjourned until March 3 for a further directions hearing.

In 2015, Warrnambool's South West TAFE, which has multiple campuses at locations including Warrnambool, Hamilton and Portland, had asked police to examine a third-party contractor running an engineering course after uncovering irregularities.

An IBAC report released in 2017 said a training company operated an alleged scam through which it received more than $2 million of government funding under subcontracting arrangements with two TAFEs, for training that allegedly did not take place.

The report alleged that TayTell Pty Ltd owner and director Ms Rebecca Taylor oversaw a scam where she was able to receive more than $2 million of government funding for training that never eventuated.

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The IBAC investigation alleged Bendigo Kangan obtained in excess of $400,000 of government funding from third-party arrangements with TayTell Pty Ltd.

In 2014 Ms Taylor entered into an agreement with Kangan where TayTell Pty Ltd was to enrol a group of Jetstar employees in the Certificate IV in Engineering.

However, IBAC alleges no one from Bendigo Kangan supervised the training.

The IBAC investigation identified weaknesses in the systems and controls of South West TAFE and Bendigo Kangan Institute of TAFE which allowed the alleged scam to flourish.

The key weakness was a failure by both TAFEs to conduct any meaningful oversight of the training which was meant to be delivered on their behalf.

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