Thomson’s arrest was made dramatic on purpose

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Former Labor federal MP Craig Thomson accuses the Victorian police of purposely creating a scene in public while arresting him on fraud charges. Thomson was taken into custody last week. He is formally charged with 149 counts of fraud while he insists he is being framed.

The NSW police arrested him after executing a Victorian warrant at his electorate office at Tuggerah. Media was also present and it covered the entire episode. According to NSW fraud squad chief, Detective Superintendent Colin Dyson, he was fed wrong information that Thomson has constantly refused surrendering prior to the arrest.

“The NSW police were misled by the Victorian police. The truth of the matter is they could have sent a summons to my solicitor and we would have been there tomorrow in Melbourne just the same. (It) was deliberately designed to create a spectacle. That’s what they went out to achieve. It was unnecessary and hurtful and humiliating,” he said.

Thomson has time and again denied accusations of abusing member funds to pay personal expenses. He is suspected of using member funds for paying his air travel, entertainment and cash withdrawals when he was national secretary of the Health Services Union (HSU). On the other hand, the Coalition is considering delegitimizing Thomson’s vote in the Parliament as it might be “tainted,” while Thomson remains optimistic.

Thomson reportedly said: “I’m absolutely committed to seeing out this term. There are some things that I want to achieve for the electorate at this time and continue to make sure they’re properly represented. And in that time, I’ll come to a decision [on whether to reconfigure test] having spoken to friends, colleagues, people in the ALP, people who I respect, and when it’s Appropriate I’ll make that announcement.”