Disgraced former HSU boss Michael Williamson admitted he defrauded the union out of almost $1m. Source: AAP
DISGRACED former Health Services Union boss Michael Williamson faces 30 years in jail and civil action by his former union for fraudulently pocketing almost $1 million.
Williamson pleaded guilty on Tuesday to four fraud-related charges arising from his conduct while he was president of the HSU.
The former ALP national president initially faced 50 charges but, in light of his guilty plea, the remainder were withdrawn.
Some will still be taken into account in sentencing and Williamson faces as long as 30 years behind bars.
He also faces paying back some, if not all, of his ill-gotten gains.
The HSU will launch civil proceedings against him in an attempt to claw back some of the $1 million he got away with.
"Now that he has pleaded guilty, what it does is open the possibility of recovering some of the funds on behalf of the union," HSU president Chris Brown told AAP.
Williamson pleaded guilty in the Downing Centre Court to creating false invoices for work performed by CANME, a company registered in his wife's name.
The work was never done but court documents showed the HSU still made 22 payments each worth $15,385 to a CANME bank account.
According to the statement of agreed facts, Williamson used the funds deposited in the CANME account to maintain his family's lifestyle, including paying private school fees, mortgage payments and clothing.
He pleaded guilty to defrauding HSU out of $338,470 - the total amount paid to CANME between July 2006 and June 2009.
He also pleaded guilty to defrauding printing firm Access Focus out of $600,000 in cash between December 2006 and February 2010.
The charge relates to Williamson proposing Access Focus inflate its invoices to the HSU and provide him with secret payments in the process.
A guilty plea was also entered with regard to recruiting Carron Gilleland to hinder the police investigation by destroying American Express statements.
Court documents revealed Mrs Gilleland, the director of a business with her husband that printed a HSU magazine, provided credit cards to Williamson at his request, and later to former MP Craig Thomson and HSU staffer Cheryl McMillan.
Williamson told the Gillelands in 2012 how to destroy Amex statements.
Chief Magistrate Graeme Henson committed Williamson's case to the Sydney District Court on October 25, where a sentence date is expected to be set.
Whistleblower and former HSU national secretary Kathy Jackson said a judicial inquiry was still needed.
"(I felt) relief to say the least but more important I think there is a case for a judicial inquiry to be heard," she told AAP.
Ms Jackson said there were many things outside the scope of a police investigation that an official inquiry could deal with, including the influence of factions.
HSU NSW secretary Gerard Hayes said the most difficult period in the HSU's history was now over.
"Our members deserve a union they can be proud of," he said.
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