A former Northern Territory ministerial staffer, whose crimes were compared to those of corrupt NSW politician Eddie Obeid, has walked free from court with a suspended sentence over travel kickbacks.
Paul Mossman was convicted on two counts of corruptly receiving a benefit from Latitude Travel director Xana Kamitsis in 2014 while he was chief of staff to then Country Liberals minister Bess Price.
Crown prosecutor David Morters said Mossman should receive a similar penalty to Obeid, the former Labor powerbroker who has been jailed for a minimum three years for misconduct in public office.
"We are not talking about a public servant receiving a bottle of wine at Christmas," he said.
Mossman's teenage daughter burst into tears in the NT Supreme Court as Justice Peter Barr sentenced him to a 12-month suspended sentence on Tuesday.
Mossman was facing a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment.
Justice Barr flagged a need for general deterrence, and noted Mossman was his daughter's primary carer and jail time would affect this.
Justice Barr said the 44-year-old showed an "undignified eagerness" to ingratiate himself with the travel agent by offering her more than $300,000 in exclusive government contracts.
Mossman made it clear he'd be grateful to accept any travel benefits as a reward for favouring Kamitsis with significant commercial advantage, Justice Barr said.
"Corruption is corrosive and ultimately destructive of good governance," he said.
"You were in a senior position of trust vis-a-vis the minister and the government of the Northern Terriotry. You betrayed that trust."
Last October a jury found Mossman guilty of having service fees waived and a deferral of full payment for return flights to Sydney with his daughter and to New York with his son in 2014.
Justice Barr said the fact that Mossman had no prior convictions and was of otherwise good character bore little relevance.
He lamented that despite Mossman's contribution to the community through a long career in public service and as a sports referee, many will only remember his corruption.
Mr Morters argued that a harsh sentence was vital to send a message to other politicians and bureaucrats, who abuse powerful positions.
"That message (must be) sent loud and clear ... so the people of the Northern Territory can have confidence in their elected members and the people they employ," he said.
The prosecution also argued Mossman should receive a similar sentence to Kamitsis, who in 2015 got a two-year jail term for a related offence. The sentence was suspended after 19 months.
But defence lawyer Tom Berkley said Kamitsis was motivated by long-term greed whereas Mossman's crimes were purely opportunistic.
