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George Brandis may have misled Parliament over Bell Group

Mr Brandis on Thursday he could not recall any conversations with Mr Mischin about the litigation in early February.

Mr Brandis on Thursday he could not recall any conversations with Mr Mischin about the litigation in early February. Photo: AAP

West Australian Attorney-General Michael Mischin says his federal counterpart, George Brandis, was involved in the Bell Group matter one month earlier than he said he was.

If Mr Mischin’s claims are true, Senator Brandis may have misled Parliament over the issue.

Senator Brandis has denied claims he wanted the Commonwealth to run dead in a High Court case to let the WA Government claw back nearly $1 billion from the settlement of Alan Bond’s collapsed business empire, the Bell Group.

Senator Brandis told 7.30 on Thursday he could not recall any conversations with Mr Mischin about the litigation in early February.

He has told Parliament he first became personally involved in the matter in March.

But the WA Attorney-General has now detailed the nature of their discussion in early February.

“I indicated that I wanted to discuss any issues the Commonwealth might have with our legislation that would kill off the Bell litigation,” he said.

“He indicated to me that he had a very, very preliminary briefing on it, he hadn’t been able to form a view on it and once he had he would discuss the matter further with me.

“I had a further conversation with him I think in early March, where he told me that as far as he was presently advised, he didn’t think the Commonwealth had a basis to intervene.

“I spoke to him again later in March, shortly before the High Court hearing, where he told me that on the advice that he had received he felt obliged to intervene on behalf of the Commonwealth.”

Consistent with my account of events: Brandis

With pressure mounting on Senator Brandis to explain his involvement in the Bell Group matter, the Attorney-General told the ABC he had seen Mr Mischin’s statement and did not dispute what it said.

“I do not recall the conversation and it is clear from Mr Mischin’s statement that any reference to the Bell matter was brief and inconclusive,” Senator Brandis said in a statement.

I note that Mr Mischin says that when he raised the matter with me, I told him that I was not in a position to discuss it then, but would do so in the future.

“I did so on March 4, 2016, which is when I had my first discussion with him about the matter.

“This is consistent with my account of these events as set out in my statement to the Senate on November 28, 2016, and elsewhere.”

But shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus has described the revelations as “extraordinary” and told the ABC any other prime minister would demand “a proper and full explanation”.

Alan Bond’s Bell Group collapsed spectacularly in the 1990s, and 20 years on, the tussle over its assets continues.

It is the longest running, most expensive litigation in Australian history.

The WA Government, impatient to have the litigation settled, passed legislation in late 2015 to seize control of the Bell liquidation — potentially jumping ahead of other creditors, including the Australian Tax Office (ATO).

WA thought it had the backing of the Federal Government after a secret deal brokered with then-treasurer Joe Hockey.

But the ATO pursued a High Court challenge, belatedly joined by the Commonwealth Government.

– ABC

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