During Ms Atkins’s suspension, the NAAJA board engaged external auditors BDO to conduct an “independent special audit” into her conduct as CEO.
“More specifically, BDO was engaged to review, analyse and report back to the NAAJA board on any irregular or inappropriate actions within specified areas of the CEO’s role, responsibilities and accountabilities in corporate governance of the organisation over the period January 2017 to January 2023,” Ms Rosas’s affidavit reads.
The findings of the BDO report were as follow:
• Ms Atkins personally purchased nine vehicles over a four-year period by way of a “novated lease” arrangement that was not approved by the board. The cars included two Range Rover Sports ($88,253 and $129,118), two Jeeps ($22,500 and $8736) and VW Amarok ($28,700);
• Ms Atkins attempted to cash out her annual leave entitlements to pay NAAJA back the money she had used for the cars. She cashed out more annual leave then she was entitled to;
• Ms Atkins charged personal expenses to her corporate card, including four iPads and a $1320 artwork;
• Ms Atkins failed to reimburse NAAJA for personal expenses charged to her credit card;
• Instances where the approver signature on credit card reconciliation did not match any of the approved approver signatures;
• At least 37 months of credit card reconciliations were not approved by the board as required.
Ms Atkins denies the allegations made against her in the BDO report.
Ms Atkins’s employment was terminated after the tabling of the report. Police were notified of the allegations, and Ms Rosas has since met three times with representatives from Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus’s office and the office of NT Attorney-General Chansey Paech, who has also been referred to the NT ICAC for allegedly failing to declare a potential conflict of interest with the organisation servicing Alice Springs town camps.
A temporary injunction filed as part of Ms Atkins’s Federal Court unfair dismissal claim means her employment has not yet been terminated, pending resolution of the case.
Ms Atkins says since her employment was suspended, she has been continually harassed, including “current workers being advised she was on cocaine”.
In March this year, Ms Atkins wrote to Namatjira MP William Yan detailing claims of “improper conduct, abuse of power and corruption by the NAAJA chairperson, board and CFO”.
The email, obtained by The Australian, included dozens of allegations against Ms Evans and Ms Rosas, and urged Mr Yan to employ external investigators to look into her claim.
Mr Yan forwarded her email to the Acting NAAJA CEO.
Ms Atkins alleged the NAAJA board made “huge” payments to board directors instead of the permitted $300 a day, without consulting the Attorney-General’s office as required. She also accused Ms Evans of being complicit in Ms Rosas’s scheme to avoid tax office scrutiny, and protect her Centrelink pension.
“NAAJA has approval to pay 8 days per year per director sitting fees,” the emails says. “At the NAAJA board meeting on 25 & 26 August, 2022, the NAAJA board agreed to pay the chairperson an annual salary of $15,000 per year.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/ill-sue-you-for-millions...
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