'Lucky' Pixie back to stay
27apr05
PIXIE Skase, the widow of fugitive businessman Christopher Skase, is free to once again become an Australian.
Citizenship Minister Peter McGauran yesterday said legal advice indicated there was little prospect of success in any appeal against the decision of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal allowing her to renew her citizenship.
He said he believed Mrs Skase, whose real name was Jo-Anne Nanette Skase, had received a very lucky judgment in her favour.
Mr McGauran said the Skases had repudiated their Australian citizenship and become citizens of Dominica in 1998.
He said the only way Mrs Skase could recover it was by proving she had not known she was repudiating her citizenship for all time.
"Regretfully the tribunal on a question of fact found Mrs Skase did not knowingly repudiate her Australian citizenship. I don't believe that to be the case," he told reporters.
"On a point of law there is insufficient grounds to mount an appeal. My legal advice is that it would be only a remote possibility of succeeding."
Mrs Skase returned to Australia in November after fleeing overseas with her husband in 1991 when his business collapsed with personal debts of $170 million and corporate debts of $1.7 billion.
Mr McGauran said Christopher Skase had made it abundantly clear he did not want to be Australian.
"He equated Australian citizenship in a very famous statement as akin to a pair of smelly socks that you had to ditch because the stench would only get worse," he said.
"He further stated he never wanted to be referred (to) again as a former Australian. Mrs Skase never said the same sentences. However, I believe she endorsed her husband's comments and that she therefore knowingly renounced her Australian citizenship."
Source:
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,15095187%5E953,00.html
