Federal government-appointed special administrator Peter McQuoid said in a statement that a review of Robert Ogden’s employment had found no evidence of any criminal conduct.
Former Bunurong Land Council employee Robert Ogden.Rebecca Hallas
Ogden worked first as a cultural sites officer and later as the cultural heritage manager for the Frankston-based corporation.
McQuoid toldThe Age he had received a request from Ogden to review his employment file in the wake of the allegations made against him.
“If anyone believes that they’ve been wrongly done by within the corporation,(the special administrator) will always follow that through and conduct a review,” he said.
“There was a lot to unpick. After many weeks of review from our lawyers,from our HR specialists,I can say there is no evidence of criminal conduct at all. ”
Ogden has strongly disputed his 2022 dismissal from the land council for alleged misconduct,and steadfastly denied any wrongdoing.
“All the evidence is I’ve done nothing outside of my contract,” Ogden told this masthead in May last year.
The matters were referred to Victoria Police by the corporation’s board early last year after it received two briefings from forensic accounting firm,PKF Integrity.
The land council had engaged the firm to investigate the alleged mismanagement. In an August statement,the Financial Crime Squad said it had assessed the land council’s report and found no criminal offences had been detected.
PKF Integrity said its investigations were based on facts and typically the subject of legal privilege.
“It is not our practice to comment on individual engagements with clients,” a PKF spokesperson said in a written statement.
In September,the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations,Tricia Stroud,placed the Bunurong Land Council into special administration in September because of “serious concerns” raised after its own examination of the land council’s books.
Ogden was contacted for comment.
