Police Search Surry Hills Brothels for Prostitutes Hired by Craig Thomson
Probably encouraged by a Channel 9 TV show that found a former sex trade worker who claimed to have been a client of embattled MP Craig Thomson, the police is seeking other prostitutes to prove misuse of Health Services Union (HSU) funds by the ex-national secretary of the union.
The Telegraph reports that fraud squad detectives have admitted visiting Surry Hills brothels in a bid to find more prostitutes who could confirm that Mr Thomson hired them. However, the report said the police failed to find any sex trade worker who remembers the MP.
So far, the only link of Mr Thomson, who was named in a Fair Work Australia (FWA) report that he used HSU credit cards to pay for the services of escorts, to sex trade workers is the interview by Channel 9 with a former prostitute, but the woman is no longer is Australia.
Mr Thomson has consistently denied the FWA charges including the allegation that he used HSU credit cards to pay for services of sex trade workers.
Besides the police investigation, a parliamentary committee is investigating the legislator from Dobell, including failure to update the register on time to confirm that the Australian Labor Party helped him with his legal bills.
Another possible failure to update the register was when Mr Thomson allegedly sold two properties in Melbourne and Sydney during the last parliament and he likewise failed to update the register of the two transactions.
Mr Thomson's woes had led Opposition leader Tony Abbott to call for the embattled MP to quit his post. However, Federal minister Anthony Albanese said the Coalition may have violated the Crimes Act by calling for Mr Thomson's resignation.
Mr Albanese quoted Section 28 of the Crimes Act, which states that it is an offence for anyone "who, by violence or by threats or intimidation of any kind, hinders or interferes with the free exercise or performance, by any other person, of any political right or duty."
"They've now gone to the step which is a breach of Section 28 of the Crimes Act in attempting to suggest 'we'll lay off if you just resign from parliament.... That is a very serious thing for the leader of the opposition to do," ABC Radio quoted Mr Albanese.
On Friday, Mr Abbott was quoted as saying, "The best thing for everyone - to take the pressure off him, to take the pressure off his family - would be for (Mr Thomson) to leave the parliament."
Mr Albanese stressed that the Crimes Act prohibits any kind of intimidation which prevents or interferes with free exercise of political right or duty. He pointed out that Mr Thomson has maintained that he is innocent of the charges filed against him.