Man faces court accused of defrauding over $200,000 intended for Indigenous community
Traditional owners have told a court they never saw any of the money Larry Joe Woosup was accused of taking as part of a deal with a mining company.
Larry Joe Woosup, a traditional owner of the Ankamuthi community, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud exceeding $30,000 each. Prosecutors claim he misappropriated over $200,000 intended for the Ankamuthi people through trust accounts and dealings with mining company Gulf Alumina Limited. Witnesses, including an accountant and other traditional owners, testified they never received any of the money Mr Woosup was alleged to have taken.
Woosup allegedly created a trust account in 2014, withdrew $110,000, and deposited a $95,000 cheque from Gulf Alumina into another account, neither of which he maintained records for. Traditional owners provided testimony stating they were unaware of any funds from the mining deal. Prosecutors presented evidence of Woosup's responses to police questions regarding the misappropriation and a lack of cooperation from Woosup's accountant during the negotiations.
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