O7540 Justice

Myer sacks exec over false employment claims

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Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 21 : 25-Jun-14

Australian department stores chain Myer in mid-June 2014 appointed Andrew Flanagan its new strategy and business development GM. It pointed out at the time that he had a wide-ranging background in the retailing sector, including a role at the Inditex Group of Spain that owns clothing stores business Zara. However the latter then said it had never employed Flanagan, and Myer on 24 June announced Flanagan’s dismissal. Court action is also possible over the deception

CORPORATES
MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, ZARA, INDITEX SA, TESCO PLC, WAL-MART STORES INCORPORATED, QUEST PERSONNEL, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, PREMIER INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX PMV, SPECIALTY FASHION GROUP LIMITED – ASX SFH

Mine activist in jail

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Original article by Lisa Cox
The Age – Page: 12 : 24-Jun-14

Some 1,000 people demonstrated on 22 June 2014 at a rare earths processing plant in Kuantan, Malaysia, against Australian-listed owner Lynas Corporation. There have been fears by residents about the potential impact of radioactive waste. After the protest became violent, 16 arrests were made. Among those detained is Australian anti-mining campaigner Natalie Lowrey, who faces a charge under Malaysia’s Immigration Act for breaching visa regulations

CORPORATES
LYNAS CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX LYC, HIMPUNAN HIJAU, PAKATAN RAKYAT

Rinehart feud risks iron ore project: daughter

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Original article by Andrew Burrell
The Australian – Page: 6 : 24-Jun-14

Supreme Court of New South Wales judge Paul Brereton will on 24 June 2014 hear more on the suit brought by John Hancock and Bianca Rinehart against their mother, mining heiress Gina Rinehart. The issue is the latter’s control of a family trust that owns 23.4% of Hancock Prospecting and a stake worth $A10bn in the Hope Downs iron ore tenements. The daughter will argue that she is qualified to act as the new trustee after her mother has stepped down, and that to appoint someone from outside the family may trigger a clause under which partner Rio Tinto would acquire all of Hope Downs

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, HOPE DOWNS IRON ORE PTY LTD, HOPE MARGARET HANCOCK TRUST, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES

ACCC hits airlines over hidden fees

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Original article by Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 20-Jun-14

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has launched legal action against Virgin Australia and Jetstar Airlines. The corporate regulator alleges that the airlines use inadequate disclosure of fares when passengers book tickets online. It states in court documents that the practice of "price dripping", which involves the incremental disclosure of fees and charges, is detrimental to the interests of consumers

CORPORATES
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX VAH, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, JETSTAR AIRLINES PTY LTD, PAYPAL INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Vote on hold as Lew lifts DJs stake

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Original article by Blair Speedy
The Australian – Page: 21 : 20-Jun-14

Australian-listed department stores chain David Jones (DJs) has informed the market that it has asked the Federal Court to delay the stockholder vote on the friendly takeover bid by Woolworths. The deal worth $A2.15bn with the South African suitor has been placed into jeopardy by revelations that retailing sector identity Solomon Lew now holds 9.89% of the target. There are fears his goal is to build a blocking stake, to force Woolworths into buying him out of Country Road. He owns 11.8% of that business and Woolworths close to 88%. The DJs investor ballot will now be held on 14 July 2014 rather than 30 June

CORPORATES
DAVID JONES LIMITED – ASX DJS, COUNTRY ROAD LIMITED – ASX CTY, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, OWNERSHIP MATTERS PTY LTD, KING AND WOOD MALLESONS

ASIC won’t act on FoFA changes

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Original article by Sally Patten
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 23-Jun-14

Both new regulations and legislative amendments will be used by the Australian Government to change some aspects of the Future of Financial Advice (FoFA) laws, effective 1 July 2014. However, there is resistance to the amendments in the Senate by the Australian Labor Party, Australian Greens and Palmer United Party. The Australian Securities & Investments Commission is currently not penalising any breaches of those sections of the FoFA laws that are to be repealed, and will maintain this approach if the deadline of 1 July is missed by the Federal Government

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, PALMER UNITED PARTY, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL, AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED

Fairfax defence: Leighton consultancy deal ‘corrupt’

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Original article by Leo Shanahan, Damon Kitney
The Australian – Page: 25 : 23-Jun-14

Fairfax Media is resorting to the defence of truth in the defamation law suit brought against it by ex-Leighton Holdings CEO Wal King. He objects to a series of articles published in 2013 that claimed he had knowledge of bribes paid to gain oil sector contracts in Iraq. The defence now mounted by Fairfax also alleges that corrupt and unethical conduct occurred when King sought to obtain a consultancy role worth $A5m from Leighton after he stepped down. The company maintains that no such agreement was in fact struck

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, LEIGHTON HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX LEI, UNAOIL GROUP, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Violent ice syndicate head gets jail term

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Original article by Tammy Mills
The Age – Page: 12 : 6/19/2014

Victorian County Court judge Michael Bourke has imposed a prison term of nine years with eligibility for parole after 6.5 on a man who had pleaded guilty to drug trafficking. Aaron Shane Dalton admitted he had led a syndicate selling methamphetamine and ecstasy, and also pleaded guilty to charges of recklessly causing serious injury, reckless conduct endangering a person, false imprisonment and arson. Four accomplices also received jail sentences or community corrections orders of around three years each

CORPORATES
COUNTY COURT OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SPORT

Disclosure breaches cost Newcrest $1.2m

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Original article by Barry FitzGerald
The Australian – Page: 19-20 : 6/19/2014

Gold mining sector leader Newcrest Mining has admitted it engaged in the selective briefing of analysts in 2013. The penalty agreed on in a compromise with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) and still to be ratified by the Federal Court is $A1.2m, an all-time high for such a continuous disclosure rules breach. Newcrest also faces the threat of a class action law suit launched on behalf of affected investors by Slater & Gordon. The mining group had staged its own investigation of the breach, with Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council chair Maurice Newman clearing it. However he did not have the same powers as ASIC

CORPORATES
NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, SLATER AND GORDON LIMITED – ASX SGH, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. PRIME MINISTER’S BUSINESS ADVISORY COUNCIL, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, CITIBANK PTY LTD, RBC CAPITAL (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Fraudulent transactions on lost or stolen cards on the increase

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Original article by Shaun Drummond
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 18-Jun-14

Data from the Australian Payments Clearing Association shows that 162,896 transactions were made using lost or stolen credit cards in 2013, which is 94 per cent higher than previously. The amount of money lost through card fraud rose by 16 per cent to $A304m, including some $A219.7m worth of fraudulent transactions that were carried out online. So-called "skimming" of credit cards cost $A37.2m in 2013

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PAYMENTS CLEARING ASSOCIATION LIMITED, MASTERCARD AUSTRALIA LIMITED, VICTORIA POLICE, UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA. CENTRE FOR INTERNET SAFETY