A magistrate has found former Ipswich mayor Andrew Antoniolli guilty of fraud for misusing city council funds.

June 6, 2019

A magistrate has found a former Ipswich mayor guilty of fraud saying his evidence on how he used council funds to buy goods at charity auctions was evasive, contrived and largely self-serving.

Andrew Francis Antoniolli, 48, was tried in May on 12 counts of fraud and one count of attempted fraud after being accused of using council funds to buy goods at charity auctions for his own use.

It followed a Crime and Corruption Commission investigation that had led to the sacking of the entire Ipswich City Council in 2018.

In Ipswich Magistrates Court on Thursday, Antoniolli was found guilty of all charges.

Magistrate Anthony Gett was scathing of the former policeman and said his actions “exhibited dishonest intent”.

“I found the defendant to be evasive, deflective and deliberately unresponsive to crucial issues concerning the consequences of successfully bidding on an auction item,” he said.

He said Antoniolli’s conduct in the “witness box gave the impression that much of his evidence appeared to be rehearsed, at times steadfastly so, unduly defensive and lacked a ring of truth”.

“My overall assessment of the defendant’s evidence is that it was largely self-serving and significantly contrived.”

Mr Gett said Antoniolli had knowingly contravened council policy, instructed charities to lie on their donation request forms and hid the purchases from the council by ordering emails be “doctored”.

He said Antoniolli’s assertion that his actions were to benefit the charities concerned and not his own popularity should be rejected.

During the trial, defence lawyer Peter Callaghan SC had argued the evidence painted a picture of a poor culture at the council but not criminality.

He said Antoniolli was following an unwritten council policy communicated by senior staff when he successfully bid on items.

They included a $3200 bicycle, numerous artworks, a signed rugby jersey and a gym membership between 2005 and 2017, while he was a councillor and mayor.

The court was told some of the goods and services Antoniolli bought were never collected and others were left at the council chambers or re-gifted to other community groups.

Mr Gett said this was “immaterial”.

Antoniolli was granted bail and will be sentenced on July 30.