£1,500 IN FINES

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 122, 13 August 1927, Page 5

£1,500 IN FINES

Barefaced Customs Fraud GAOL UNTIL PAID Fines totalling £1,500 were imposed on Harold Langley Montagu, who was proceeded against at the Sydney Central Court by G. S. Bradley, a Customs officer, for having made a false statement in a document, for the purpose of defrauding the revenue. He was ordered to be imprisoned until the money was paid. The statement complained of was •that nothing on my part, or to my knowledge, on the part of any person, has been done, concealed* or suppressed, whereby his Majesty the King may be defrauded of any duty due.” There were five separate informations against defendant. Mr. H. H. Neave. of the Commonwealth Crown solicitor’s office, said it was alleged that defendant, who was at the time a licensed Customs agent, had been systematically defrauding the Customs from May, 1925. until April. 1926. The fraud was accidentally discovered by an officer. In just under a year he had defrauded the Customs of £4.595. Mr. Neaves pointed out that if defendant were proceeded against in the High Court, he would be liable to fines amounting to £46.000. OTHER FRAUDS ALLEGED It was alleged that defendant had committed similar frauds in respect of seven other shipments of goods; but the department was not proceeding against him for that. Mr. Maddocks Cohen. for the defence, said the duty would be paid, so that the Customs Department would not be anything out of pocket. Defendant had been speculating heavily, and had lost not only the money he should have paid to the Customs, but his own money. He had practically no assets. Mr. Laidlaw, S.M., said that in his opinion there could not be a more barefaced fraud. Defendant had deliberately defrauded the Customs at the expense of his customers. ”1 cannot see a single extenuating circumstance in his favour,” he added.