Hookers and Politicians? I am SHOCKED!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Did politician pay prostitutes? Scandal threatens Australian government

CANBERRA — A political scandal involving a government MP over payments to prostitutes, which threatens Australia's minority government, deepened Wednesday when police were asked to investigate the lawmaker's union credit card bills.

The move by the Health Services Union (HSU) increases the likelihood that police will launch a criminal investigation into the credit card bills of the union's former boss Craig Thomson, now a government MP, including payments to a Sydney brothel.

Thomson has denied any wrongdoing. But if police decide he can be charged with a criminal offense and is then found guilty, he would be forced to leave parliament, sparking a by-election that could bring down Prime Minister Julia Gillard's government, which has a one-seat majority.

scope to investigate the payments.

But an opposition senator, George Brandis, wrote to Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione on Monday with new evidence he alleged showed Thomson had committed a range of crimes, including fraud, which is punishable by 10 years in prison.

Handwriting expert
It included a statement from a forensic handwriting expert who said Thomson had probably signed one of the brothel credit card dockets in question.

It also included a bundle of recently released court documents that Fairfax Media Publications, owner of a Sydney newspaper that first raised the allegations against Thomson, would have used in the defamation trial as proof of many more instances in which Thomson allegedly paid prostitutes with the same credit card.

Gillard told Parliament on Tuesday "it would be inappropriate for me to comment further" on the scandal because of the police investigation.

She denied any involvement in a decision by a Labor state branch to pay more than 90,000 Australian dollars ($94,000) toward Thomson's legal bills for settling his defamation case.

The party won't explain the generous gift, but the opposition is convinced it was to prevent Thomson being bankrupted by his legal bills.

Under Australia's Constitution, a lawmaker must quit Parliament if he or she is bankrupt or convicted of a crime that carries a potential prison sentence of at least 12 months.

Etc.

[laklak]

Say it ain't so, Joe!

[redunderthebed]

Whilst he has done nothing wrong according to the law (whether the HSU would be happy is obviously another thing) prostitution is legal in NSW. It isn't a good look and the conservative pinheads want him to voluntarily resign and make the government collapse which unlike in most cases in our 100 or so years of federation has not got an absolute majority in the house of reps.

I see the dirt machine of the liberal party is alive and well bunch of fucking tossers. Tony Abbott wouldn't get his slimy mitts on power because the greens would prevent any legislation from passing the senate.

[charlou]

whose money was he spending?

[apophenia]

Graphologists, Jesus -- might as well get out a Ouija board and channel the spirits to determine his guilt.

At least it's not Pokers and Holyticians.

[Svartalf]

Whilst he has done nothing wrong according to the law (whether the HSU would be happy is obviously another thing) prostitution is legal in NSW. It isn't a good look and the conservative pinheads want him to voluntarily resign and make the government collapse which unlike in most cases in our 100 or so years of federation has not got an absolute majority in the house of reps.

I see the dirt machine of the liberal party is alive and well bunch of fucking tossers. Tony Abbott wouldn't get his slimy mitts on power because the greens would prevent any legislation from passing the senate.

Nothing wrong? Isn't he guilty of embezzling and misappropriation of union funds?

[Tero]

You could always nationalize politics. Get the money off their hands and get a civil servant to monitor each. Fix advertising spending amoynts. Mandatory term limits for lifetime. Good pension.

Naah. Let them screw each other.

[Mysturji]

...police were asked to investigate the lawmaker's union credit card bills.

If he paid with union funds...

[Gawdzilla Sama]

...police were asked to investigate the lawmaker's union credit card bills.

If he paid with union funds...

Maybe he was just striving to create a more perfect union?

[Hermit]

...police were asked to investigate the lawmaker's union credit card bills.

If he paid with union funds...

Jobs with fringe benefits. Private enterprise has heaps more of that than piddly unions could ever hope to get away with.

[mistermack]

I didn't realise the extras that came with a union job.

I think I'll stand for erection.