Victoria Police opt not to lay charges after ending Melbourne Storm investigation
Brent Read and Peter Kogoy
From: The Australian
May 07, 2011 12:00AM
HAVING scoured more than 20,000 emails and navigated a legal minefield, the NRL will next week release its long-awaited report into the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal.
The report, compiled by salary cap auditor Ian Schubert and the NRL's legal team, is expected to lay bare the depth of deception involved in the biggest rort in Australian sporting history.
News of the impending release of the NRL's investigation came as Victoria Police yesterday concluded their investigation into the scandal, electing not to lay charges despite finding some offences related to the falsification of statutory declarations.
NRL chief executive David Gallop confirmed his organisation was ready to release its findings after an investigation stretching back more than a year.
"We will be in position to release a final report next week," Gallop said.
"That report will highlight the lengths the Melbourne Storm went to to breach the salary cap. It's a reminder that if you engage in this type of activity, there is a high likelihood your dealings will come under the spotlight.
"We have reviewed 20,000 emails and to say that they were eye-opening is an understatement."
The Storm has already been penalised for the salary cap scandal, having been stripped of two premierships and three minor premierships. The club was also docked all premiership points last season, fined $500,000, forced to return $1.1 million in prizemoney and to shed several players, including Greg Inglis, Ryan Hoffman and Brett White.
Brian Waldron, the former Storm chief executive who was described as the architect of the rorts, declined to comment yesterday when told of the police findings.
Several player-managers remain under investigation by the NRL's player agent accreditation committee. Police charges, however, will not be laid against anyone involved in the scandal after Victoria Police concluded no fraud offences were committed.
"After a long and thorough assessment, investigators have found no fraud-related offences have been committed," a police statement read.
"During the investigation police identified some offences relating to the falsification of statutory declarations.
"Some of these declarations were made outside of Victoria.
"We have decided not to pursue this line of inquiry as to do so would be extremely resource intensive and there is a high probability it would not result in any charges being laid."
Waldron and key staffers Matt Hanson, Paul Gregory, Peter O'Sullivan and Cameron Vale were reportedly at the centre of the police investigation.
The statement said the "criminal environment" was not the most suitable way to proceed but "other regulatory agencies" could still take action.
The NRL at the time revealed that the Storm had breached the salary cap by $1.7m over five years by keeping a second set of payment books.
"We weren't relying on the Victorian police to take action," Gallop said.
"It's a reminder of why the league needs to have its own rules and penalties.
"Signing a false statutory declaration remains a very serious issue and people have gone to jail for it in NSW in recent times."
