Geoff Clark, a 72-year-old former chairman of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), has been sentenced to six years in prison for embezzling $922,214 from four Aboriginal organisations, including the Framlingham Aboriginal Trust, between 2001 and 2015. The Victorian County Court heard on Nov. 29 that Clark misused $404,344 to cover legal fees related to gang rape and assault allegations from the 1970s, where a civil jury found he had led two pack rapes. He also spent $56,020 on personal expenses such as utility bills.
Clark was convicted on 25 charges, including theft, deception, perjury, and dealing with proceeds of crime. Judge Michael O’Connell condemned his actions as “morally reprehensible,” stating Clark had abused his role as a community leader to strengthen his power. Framlingham community members welcomed the verdict, with Joanne McGuiness urging grassroots communities to stand against corrupt leaders.
Clark’s son, Jeremy Clark, 51, was also sentenced for theft and false accounting. He stole $231,969 to assist with his father’s legal fees and misused a $10,780 government grant. Jeremy received a suspended sentence of two years and two months, conditional on good behaviour for two years. Gary Johns of Close the Gap Research noted the case highlighted the need to challenge figures of authority in Indigenous communities.
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