Charges laid against CFMEU officials

Two officials from the construction union have been charged with intimidating commonwealth officials.

Two officials of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union have been charged following referrals from the trade unions royal commission.

Michael Greenfield, an organiser with the NSW construction branch of the CFMEU, will face a Sydney court in November charged with intimidation of Commonwealth public officials, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) has confirmed.

The public officials in question are Fair Work Building Industry (FWBI) inspectors.

Luke Collier, an officer with the CFMEU, has also been charged with intimidation of FWBI inspectors and with assault under NSW laws, the CDPP said.

Mr Collier's matter has been listed for mention in a Sydney court in February.

The charges against the men follow evidence heard at the royal commission last year about a confrontation between FBWI inspectors and union officials at the Barangaroo building site in Sydney in July, 2014.

The penalty for obstruction of a Commonwealth official is two years' jail.

Earlier this month, a blackmail charge against another CFMEU official, former rugby league player John Lomax, was dropped when prosecutors did not present any evidence to the court.

Mr Lomax had been charged by police attached to the trade unions royal commission.

He said he was considering legal action after the charges were dropped.

Commissioner Dyson Heydon referred Mr Greenfield, Mr Collier and a number of other CFMEU officials to the Commonwealth DPP and other agencies for consideration of charges in his December, 2014, interim report.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world