UNION officials spent three days deleting emails despite a notice from the royal commission ordering it to hand over all documents on its dealings with businessman George Alex.
The Royal Commission into Union Corruption ordered the Construction Forestry Mining and Engineering Union to hand over any documents relating to Mr Alex’s security and scaffolding companies.
But Kylie Wray, NSW branch general manager, said the union suddenly found in June, less than a month after receiving the notice, that it was not receiving any email because of a “disk space error”.
The hearing heard senior union officials faced up to two years’ jail over the intimidation of industry inspectors.
Counsel assisting the commission Jeremy Stoljar warned yesterday of stiff penalties if gross obstruction were proven.
Ms Wray had said the email system was full and had not been backed up. She told staff to delete emails.
“We are just days away from the royal commission kicking off and there is a LOT going on, we need everyone to make this a priority please,” she told staff — in an email.
Mr Stoljar asked: “Didn’t you consider getting an external storage device and loading some emails on to that?”
Ms Wray said it had not occurred to her — despite an email from her boss suggesting it three minutes later — and confirmed a team of nine spent at least three days purging the union’s email system.
Mr Stoljar suggested it was a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence.
“You wished to delete emails which would otherwise be produced to the commission in answer to notices to produce: Is that right?” he said.
“Absolutely not,” Ms Wray replied.
The commission was seeking documents relating to Enterprise Bargaining Agreements between Mr Alex’s companies and the union.
In the commission the previous day Mr Stoljar described Mr Alex as “a person with well-publicised connections with organised crime”.
The commission heard that directors of Mr Alex’s companies withdrew $2500 cash in “union fees” every week.
And it also heard from several witnesses that CFMEU officials including NSW secretary Brian Parker, bikies and debt collectors had been seen at Mr George’s house.
Yesterday Ms Wray said she personally went through and deleted all of Mr Parker’s emails — but she claimed that there were no emails from Mr Alex in his inbox.
The inquiry continues.
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