Rogerson Charged On Pic Evidence
Sun Herald
Sunday July 28, 2002
FORMER police detective Roger Caleb Rogerson has been charged with perjuring himself before the NSW Police Integrity Commission.
Rogerson, 62, is facing six counts of giving false evidence to the PIC on his dealings with former Liverpool Council employee Sam ``Mr 10 per cent" Masri in May 1999.
At the time, Rogerson was also the star witness at a parallel inquiry run by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), at which Masri, a purchasing officer, was named as taking kickbacks from contractors.
Rogerson's de facto, Anne Melocco, who also testified about her partner's business affairs and company interests at the PIC, has been charged with three counts of giving false evidence.
NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Nick Cowdery QC said the couple were issued with summonses by PIC officers on July 18. They are due to appear in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on August 14.
If found guilty, they face up to a $22,000 fine, five years' jail or both for each offence.
Most of the PIC evidence of May25, 1999, was devoted to allegationsof Rogerson's corrupt connections with Masri.
There was also talk of a home invasion, a tip-off on the whereabouts of media magnate Kerry Packer's missing gold bullion and accusations of a conspiracy to hydroponically cultivate marijuana.
In each case Rogerson denied any wrongdoing and no-one has been charged over any of the allegations.
It was courtroom drama at its best.
Melocco took the witness box first.
After being tested on her knowledge of ICAC's investigations, she was questioned about the various companies Rogerson had worked for or had an interest in: a building concern called Re-Con Holdings, scaffolding company Scafco Pty Ltd and a demolition, earth-moving and plant-hire outfit known as Aramco.
She was also asked if she had destroyed records relating to those companies. She said she had not.
When it was Rogerson's turn to answer questions, he complained of being ``completely ambushed".
He was asked about a plot to raid a home in the south-western Sydney suburb of Austral in October 1998, but said he recollected no such thing.
Three days later, he conceded that he did ``case a joint" but not to conduct a robbery, only to recover some of the $5.4 million worth of gold bars stolen from Mr Packer in 1995.
The plan was to return the bullion and claim a reward. Asked by counsel assisting, David Frearson, if he ever obtained any of the bars, Rogerson said he had not. If he had, though, ``possibly one or two would've gone missing" before the haul was returned to its owner.
© 2002 Sun Herald