Former mayor of Ipswich, Paul Pisasale, was arrested by the Crime and Corruption Commission and taken to the Brisbane watchhouse. He is facing three charges, including extortion and assault. Queensland’s crime and corruption watchdog said an Ipswich man was arrested and taken to the watchhouse where he was formally charged. The Crime and Corruption Commission has always maintained there was an ongoing investigation underway into issues concerning Mr Pisasale.
As per reports, under parliamentary privilege last week, independent state MP Rob Pyne levelled serious allegations of corruption and misconduct against Paul and other senior Ipswich council members. He tabled the four-page unattributed document in Queensland Parliament.
As per 7 News reports, one of the charges relate to the alleged assault of a woman, believed to be in her 20s. The incident allegedly occurred at Ipswich City Council offices, in addition to accusation of extorting a businessman while he was the state’s most popular Mayor.
On June 7, Paul was stopped at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne by Australian Federal Police with $50,000 cash. The next day, Brisbane barrister Sam Di Carlo told reporters he had asked then then-Ipswich mayor to carry the $50,000 through the airport as part of a Supreme Court settlement. At St Andrew’s Ipswich Private Hospital, and dressed in pyjamas and socks, Paul Pisasale told reporters that he had resigned as Ipswich’s mayor and as a councillor.
Paul Pisasale was first elected to council in March 1991 and has been a four term Mayor since 2004. In the 2016 election, he was re-elected with more than 80 per cent of the vote.
Source: News sources