Sir – A former CEO of the Yuendumu Women’s Centre Aboriginal Corporation, Pamela Malden, has pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory to seven charges brought by the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, Anthony Beven.
Justice Blokland yesterday sentenced Ms Malden to an aggregate sentence of 15 months imprisonment commencing 23 May 2013. Ms Malden is to be released after three months on a $2,000 bond to be of good behaviour for three years. Ms Malden was also ordered to repay the Yuendumu Women’s Centre Aboriginal Corporation the amount of $41,746.23.
Three of the charges related to Ms Malden misusing her position for a personal gain of $11,746.23 in cash and $30,000 towards the purchase of a new four-wheel drive.
Ms Malden also pleaded guilty and was sentenced on a further four charges of creating and lodging false financial reports with funding bodies.
The charges were brought under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 and the Commonwealth Criminal Code. Ms Malden was the CEO of the Yuendumu Women’s Centre Aboriginal Corporation (YWCAC) from 2005 to 2009.
In her sentencing remarks, Justice Blokland stated that “the breach of trust involved in this offending is of a high order. The women of the Yuendumu corporation are an extremely vulnerable group who rely on people like Ms Malden to be honest about what they do and to assist them to improve their community.” YWCAC is a charitable organisation run by the Aboriginal women of Yuendumu and owns a large community store and provides services primarily to women and families.
Mr Beven said: “Senior staff hold important positions of trust in Aboriginal corporations. Ms Malden abused that position of trust for her own benefit and the Aboriginal women and families of Yuendumu suffered as a result. I am committed to taking action to ensure high standards from those in such positions of trust.”
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions prosecuted the matter.
Patricia Gibson
Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations
Three of the charges related to Ms Malden misusing her position for a personal gain of $11,746.23 in cash and $30,000 towards the purchase of a new four-wheel drive.
Ms Malden also pleaded guilty and was sentenced on a further four charges of creating and lodging false financial reports with funding bodies.
The charges were brought under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 and the Commonwealth Criminal Code. Ms Malden was the CEO of the Yuendumu Women’s Centre Aboriginal Corporation (YWCAC) from 2005 to 2009.
In her sentencing remarks, Justice Blokland stated that “the breach of trust involved in this offending is of a high order. The women of the Yuendumu corporation are an extremely vulnerable group who rely on people like Ms Malden to be honest about what they do and to assist them to improve their community.” YWCAC is a charitable organisation run by the Aboriginal women of Yuendumu and owns a large community store and provides services primarily to women and families.
Mr Beven said: “Senior staff hold important positions of trust in Aboriginal corporations. Ms Malden abused that position of trust for her own benefit and the Aboriginal women and families of Yuendumu suffered as a result. I am committed to taking action to ensure high standards from those in such positions of trust.”
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions prosecuted the matter.
Patricia Gibson
Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations
What a pity that ORIC can’t, or won’t pursue others who have done the same.
I commend the investigators in these matters. Here we see what CEOs of larger Aboriginal services do with the cash.
Now you have to ask, what do they do with the other transactions that are not cash but that benefit them?
The one we all talk about is taking 10 times the annual leave of most staff, and not being at work pretending to be at conferences or working from home.
If this is going on and every one knows about it, what do you do? My question would be which auditor would be smart enough to ask the question, is the CEO taking leave properly? Is the treasurer on to it? Is the chairman approving the CEO’s leaves?