Gary Adshead: Memoirs of a scammer and his pollie mates are a sickening read

COMMENT: Most West Australians wouldn’t know Craig Peacock if they tripped over him in a Japanese bathhouse.

But many of us have been blindly paying for his lavish Tokyo lifestyle for years, and we have a right to ask how this could happen without any overpaid pen-pusher or bean counter in the WA Government spotting the rort sooner.

This is a point not lost on Corruption and Crime Commission head John McKechnie when addressing one of Mr Peacock’s many alleged scams.

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“The utility reimbursements were notified monthly to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet,” the Commissioner said. “No action was ever taken to query or disallow the payments as an overrun of the monthly petty cash float. They were not hidden.”

Peacock was taking the proverbial. No one was taking notice.

When he wanted to spoil his best mate John Turner and his family with a slap-up meal at Italian restaurant Marcello, Peacock would put it down as a business meeting.

“Great evening brother,” Turner said in a text message. “F and J thank uncle Craig for happy time at Marcello.” “F” and “J” were references to Turner’s wife and son.

People who work their guts out, never rort the system and pay their taxes should be reaching for the sick bag reading about Peacock and his snout in the trough.

As for former MPs Phil Edman and Brian Ellis, it’s a good job they were dumped at the last election, because right now they’d be tendering their resignations.

Burning taxpayers’ money on an iffy business, trade and government relations jaunt when other priorities were on the agenda is disgraceful.

They may not be politicians now, but someone should at least wash their mouths out with soap.