http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...ter-dpp-appeals-sentence-20170825-gy4p92.html
Ex-Parramatta Eels boss Scott Seward could face jail after DPP appeals sentence
Former Parramatta chief executive Scott Seward isn't off the hook just yet for his role in the salary cap scandal after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions agreed to appeal his sentence in the District Court.
Seward escaped without conviction when he was sentenced in the Downing Centre Local Court in July after he had earlier pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtaining $221,106.50 from the Parramatta Leagues Club by arranging and authorising false invoices between November 2014 and June 12, 2015. Those fraud offences carry penalties of up to five years in jail, but Seward was given just a two-year good behaviour bond.
The NSW Police Force's fraud and cybercrime squad spent a year putting together its case against Seward.
Shocked by the leniency Seward was shown, police appealed and have succeeded in having the matter relisted at a District Court hearing in November. Police hope for a harsher penalty, potentially jail time, when the full circumstances of the case are considered.
The actions of Seward and others involved in the salary cap scandal effectively rubbed Parramatta out of the finals last season. The NRL claimed the Eels had illegally overspent about $3 million on players during a period in which the club earned two wooden spoons.
The governing body stripped the Eels of 12 competition points, a sanction that prevented the club from breaking a finals drought that had stretched from 2009. The Eels were also fined $750,000, while the NSW government sacked the leagues club board, which at the time also presided over the football club.
Not long after starting as Eels chief executive, Seward was informed there were $589,000 worth of outstanding off-the-books payments to players and managers.
According to the facts sheet tendered to the Downing Centre Court, Seward arranged for landscaping and ground maintenance firm Green Options to issue false invoices totalling $76,000. He arranged for a further five false invoices totalling $145,106.50 to be raised with Leba Zibara of Zibara Clothing. Those funds were also passed on to players and managers.
"On one occasion the accused passed money on to a player, on all other occasions the money was provided to others to pass onto the player or manager," the statement said.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Chris O'Brien opted not to record a conviction due to the "unique" nature of the case.
"Somewhat unusually, I have determined in this matter to impose a lesser penalty than that suggested by the offender's solicitor," the magistrate said.
Speaking after his original sentencing, Seward said he felt a "sense of relief and feeling of justification" for coming forward.
"I can now walk the streets without having to hide, but being able to look people in the eye and not worry about what they think of me," Seward told
The Australian at the time.
"It was an incredibly tough decision to come forward and do what I did, but the decision justifies trying to right the wrongs."
The NRL has turned its attention to the role of player managers, with the agent accreditation committee expected to hand down its findings in coming months. It is understood police are not planning to charge anyone else in relation to the matter.
Parramatta have rebounded from the dramas under a new management team led by chairman Max Donnelly and chief executive Bernie Gurr. After Friday night's win away win against Brisbane, the Eels remain a chance of finishing in the top four.
