CFMEU document destruction case update: Hanna admits implicating Ravbar

Former Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union personnel Dave Hanna has admitted on his hearing on Thursday that he made fake claims of Michael Ravbar’s involvement in damaging the documents asked for by the court in April 2014.

As reported by AFR, Hanna confessed that he built up dramatic sequences to ruin the image of his counterpart. When CFMEU lawyer John Aguis cross-questioned the former CFMEU official, Hanna stated that he destroyed the documents unintentionally and he was not aware that the documents he damaged were related to the case. Also, he could not justify the statement he made to senior union personnel Leo Skourdoumbis, that the documents were subject to subpoena.

Hanna acknowledged that he tried to incriminate Ravbar by changing the receipt from the tip truck and adding his name on it.

Hanna was investigated over his procuring of thousands of dollars from the employees to pay for a union organiser’s wife’s IVF treatment. The investigation started when Ravbar complained against him.

But at the same time, Hanna claimed he did not instruct covering the security cameras. It was Ravbar who apparently did so. On the other hand, the witnesses told the commission that it was Hanna and not Ravbar who ordered to cover the cameras.

Ravbar said that he came to know about the covered cameras two weeks after the papers were destroyed. He added that he would not have kept the cameras covered if he would know they were covered. Ravbar acknowledged that IVF allegation was a corrupt act, adding that misusing powers and exploiting employees were a big deal for him.

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