As part of our long-running involvement with Project Wickenby, AGS assisted the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in a case which, in April 2012, effectively dismantled a multi-million-dollar tax-evasion and money-laundering scheme.
Project Wickenby is a cross-agency taskforce, established in 2006 to protect the integrity of Australia's financial and regulatory systems by preventing people from promoting or participating in the abusive use of secrecy havens (countries with secretive tax or financial systems).
AGS assisted both the AFP and ATO with aspects of the case. Lawyer Jackie Ibrahim assisted the AFP with a proceeds of crime application.
Senior Executive Lawyer Matthew Walsh, with assistance from Chief Solicitor Dispute Resolution Simon Daley and Senior Executive Lawyer Kristy Alexander, provided advice to the ATO officers who undertook access at a number of premises, pursuant to s 263 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936. In Brisbane, Senior Executive Lawyer Jane Lye and Senior Lawyer Suzannah Auld assisted, with Ms Lye taking possession of documents subject to claims for legal professional privilege (LPP).
This is an extract from the 2011–12 AGS annual report