South Australian MP Troy Bell transferred money from his personal bank accounts to the accounts of non-profit organisations he allegedly stole from, but a “conservative” $436,000 of the money was not returned, a court has been told.
The independent member for Mount Gambier in South Australia’s south-east faces trial in the South Australian District Court after pleading not guilty to 20 counts of theft and six counts of dishonestly dealing in documents, allegedly committed between 2009 and 2013.
Since the trial began on June 18, a jury has heard evidence that Mr. Bell, 50, abused his position as an employee of the Department of Education to steal money intended to help vulnerable high school students.
Instead, he used it to fund real estate investments and pay off debts.
Much of the trial has focused on the movement of money between bank accounts and included five days of evidence from a forensic accountant.
Beginning her closing address on Monday, prosecutor Jemma Litster said there was no doubt Bell was a well-liked man and there was evidence his personality and the way he interacted with people engendered trust and goodwill.
“The prosecution alleges that he abused that trust and goodwill. That is one of the reasons his fraud went undetected for so long,” he said.
“It’s human nature. I think people are less likely to question or analyze the behavior of someone they like or admire.”
Mr Bell is alleged to have stolen funds intended to support secondary school students at the Mount Gambier Independent Learning Centre, an annex of Millicent Secondary School, to assist disengaged students who had returned to school.
Former South Australian MP Troy Bell has been charged in court with stealing $436,000 from non-profit organisations
Ms. Litster told the court that the funds were deposited or transferred into accounts that Mr. Bell had personally opened in the name of the ILC.
He had received those funds on behalf of two nonprofit organizations, the Southeast Education and Training Association and the Limestone Coast Education and Training Association.
On Monday, he said the alleged crime occurred “out of sight” and “failed to break the trust of those around him.”
“No one who interacted with him really knew what he was doing with the LCETA and SEETA money, which was being moved into Bell’s accounts,” he said.
She said evidence suggested even Bell’s wife Michaela was not fully aware of his offending and in intercepted phone calls played in court he was trying to “appease” her.
Bell is alleged to have taken money intended for the Mount Gambier Independent Learning Centre, an annex of Millicent Secondary School that assists disengaged students who have returned to school.
“I suggest he was simply telling her that her husband was not a criminal and that her family would be fine,” Litster said.
He said the reason for the “backward” transfers between Mr Bell’s personal accounts and the accounts of the non-profit organisations was “obvious”.
“The defendant had to return funds to keep the programs running, otherwise they would have been paralyzed and his system would have been further exposed,” he said.
“There was still $436,023 that had been spent and had not been returned. And the jurors believe that was a conservative estimate, I believe, in favor of Mr. Bell – the accountant did not include certain invoices.”
The trial, before Judge Rauf Soulio, continues.
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