aug 2011 mp paul fletcher
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Subject: Aug 2011 emails to MP Paul Fletcher
From: Geronimo Bob
Date: 8/24/2011 1:00 AM
To: "Graham, Casey" , "Giles, Rebekah"
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Geronimo Bob
Date: Fri, Aug 19, 2011 at 5:22 PM
Subject: trio capital inquiry
To: "McCulloch, David (P. Fletcher, MP)" , "Fletcher, Paul (MP)"
Dear Mr. Fletcher,
I have brief comments both in regards to your unanswered quesons in wring as well as remarks
made by ASIC chairman Medcraregarding the status of the Trio invesgaon. I believe you and
your commiee should make independent inquiry as the various asserons made by ASIC which in
my opinion highly quesonable, including their recent published info on frozen funds (which is just
plain wrong. (one frozen hedge fund).
For the connued condence of Australia's nancial markets and its regulators, tranparacy, fairness
and the rule of law and especially all those who have had their savings and lives advesrsely
ected, ASIC needs to answer the quesons in wring you have submied. Specically, the extent
to which investors suered losses due to criminal/fraudulent acvies as compared to negligence
or exceponal market condions, inability on the part of both regulators and
administrators/liquidators to understand much less unwind and liquidate complex nancial
contracts. Judge Palmers speculaon of fraud in his decision winding up ve trio managed
investment funds and Minister Shorten's decision to compensate superannuaon investors $55million has created an inaccurate belief in the public consciousness (an oshore evil mastermind
named Jack Flader who for some reason has not been charged, extradded or subject to any legal
acon whatso ever!) making it incredibly dicult to challenge the lack of evidence or the many
inconsistancies much less the consideraon of Trio's failure caused by more mundane
factors.(From which investors potenally would be able to seek damages from.) It is inconceivable
that the 2.5-year sentence received by Shawn Richard can be adequate if he indeed parcipated in
the stealing of $180M! You will note that the same judge sentenced an 80 year old man to six years
for stealing $4M just today!
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Investors have unquesonably suered greatly because of Trio Capital; many of these investors are
being taken advantage of again by greedy class acon lawyers and advisers seeking to pursue legal
acon for which there is no factual basis and no possibility of success.
I hope that you and that PJC will hold all pares responsible for this maer to account.
Previously Tony DAloisio and now Greg Medcrahave assured you and the PJC that the Trio
invesgaon was a high priority and ongoing maer. At the most recent hearings he had assured
the commiee that he was personally looking into the maer. While your quesons and the PJC
inquiry into Trio has resulted in a number of publicized acons, this is clearly a case of too lile too
late and in my opinion soley to placate the PJC and yourself.
Relevantly;
Shawn Richard Invesgaon
1. For all intents and purposes ASIC's invesgaons into Trio Capital were completed Dec 2010 aer
reaching a plea agreement with Shawn Richards. The enre Shawn Richard Invesgaon team wereawarded Australia Day medallions Feb 2011 in recognion for their eorts. Historically ASIC had
given medallions for completed invesgaons not those sll ongoing. Shortly aer the two lead
invesgators Joe Kouper and James Hogan leASIC for posions in private sector. The invesgaon
is currently being handled by an ASIC lawyer with lile invesgaon or nancial product
experience. She is essenally a beurocrat. She is being supported by an accountant who has been
with ASIC for only a short me.
Mr. Richard's lawyer, Costa Green (who curiously had previously advised Phillip York and theinvestments in the ARP Growth Fund) negoated the deal which included the enforcible
undertaking published Dec 3, 2010 banning Mr. Richard from working in nancial services for life.
ASIC has not explained the reasons it accepted an enforceable undertaking from Mr. Richard as
ASIC policy and publicaons clearly state that ASIC would not accept an EU in circumstances of
deliberate conduct or fraud. To my knowledge ASIC has never accepted an EU in comparable
circumstances. In addion there apeared to be very lile benet from Mr. Richard's undertaking as
his convicons would preclude him from work in nancial services in the future anyway.
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Links to informaon ASIC was acng on when they inially shut down Trio
hp://www.smh.com.au/business/trio-from-the-boiler-room-into-the-re-20100101-llq3.html
hp://www.smh.com.au/business/blogger-who-blew-the-whistle-on-hedge-fund-20100101-
llq5.html
ARP Invesgaon
2. ASIC's invesgaon into the ARP growth fund was a half assed eort from the start. They were
clearly going through the moons to appease demands for acon in response to Stuart Washingtonand John Hempton's sensaonal ARP fraud accusaons published in numerous arcles and online
between Jan-March 2010. Stuart Washington and John Hempton provided numerous misleading
documents to the administrators of Trio and met with Partners of PPB on numerous occasions
starng from Dec 2009. PPB has admied that informaon published in the Sydney Morning Herald
and aributed to partners of PPB were actually provided to them by Stuart Washington (SMH
reporter) and John Hempton. The ASIC, ARP invesgaon was opened only AFTER these media
reports were published; they were never pursued seriously by ASIC. The invesgaon was given to
Ross Blowers; while an experienced invesgator, he did not have any understanding or experience
of structured products, hedge funds or derivaves AT ALL. He was also being made redundant by
the cost cung at ASIC.
The invesgaon into the ARP growth fund was given to someone without the experse and
knowledge and ALSO someone who was halfway out of ASIC anyway! You may be interested that
your queries into ARP caused a mad urry of acvity and ulmately delaying Mr. Blowers departure
by two weeks.
ARP Fraud links
hp://www.smh.com.au/business/asic-must-move-quickly-on-trio-fund-20100215-o2yu.html
hp://brontecapital.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-pper-on-astarra.html
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The majority of hedge funds were frozen in late 2008-2009!
3. ASIC's claim that there was only one frozen hedge fund with .6 B in 2008 is wrong. I have
aached a PDF document with various documents I have compiled.
ASIC apears to have only included stascs for funds that have applied for hardship relief rather
than a complete list of funds with altered redempon condions. In 2008/2009 the MAJORITY of
fund of hedge funds were frozen. While ASIC provided hardship relief to the Macquarie Equinox
Asian 2 Trust it should have known that all11Equinox funds were frozen. ASIC granted fund
managers Certude (HFA) and Everest Financial Group relief from the liquidity requirements of the
Corps. Act but for some reason NOT included on their frozen funds list. Please note that Certude/
HFA, BT, Select, Goldman, DB and many other hedge fund managers froze redempons in late
2008-2009.
Netwealth Frozen Funds link
hps://www.netwealth.com.au/librarymanager/libs/41/netwealth_List_of_suspended_funds.pdf
The fact that only one hedge fund applied for hardship relief does not mean it was the only hedgefund frozen fund. ASICs stasc on HFs does not accurately characterize the exceponal
circumstances confronted by hedge funds and funds of hedge funds nor does it show that the
majority of hedge funds have subsequently seen liquidity improve far greater than the other
groups named in ASICs frozen funds publicaon. That there was only one hardship applicaon
would in my opinion demonstrate that investors in hedge fund products understood the risks
involved with hedge funds and alternaves to be able to wait out the unprecedented market
turmoil of the GFC as opposed to investors in mortgage funds who perhaps depended on the
dividends/ income for short-term expenditures. It also demonstrates that many funds with similar
investments as Trio/ ARP have been able to work out illiquid posions and open their funds up to
normal redempons.
What invesgaons were actually undertaken?
4. I had previously asked that you read Judge Palmer's April 16 decision winding up the Trio funds.
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Each of the rst four bullet points listed in Para 36 are objecvely wrong! Please ask ASIC or
Treasury to provide you the leer of sent by Dr. Ken Henry to ASIC Chairman Tony DAloisio in Sep
2009. Google Paul Richard Bell or see a prior ASIC release
hp://www.asic.gov.au/asic/asic.nsf/byheadline
/01%2F361+ASIC+obtains+court+order+against+cold+caller?opendocument
(this is NOT the same Richard Bell that managed the Huntleigh Investment Fund). Check with theFSA in the UK or the SEC about Pacic Connental UK and World Financial Group in NY(previously
called Pacic Connental Securies in 1999)
Look up Atlans Capital Markets (even beer ask ASIC for the administraon reports from Swiss
Financial or the brokerage and trade bloers)
The audits for both EMA and Exploraon Fund (previously Huntliegh Investment Fund) were
completed or nearly completed. EMAs audit report was completed and nanlized but for the
auditors outstanding fees!
PPB Expense reports links
hp://www.ppbadvisory.com/creditor-informaon/v/175/trio-capital-formerly-known-as-astarra-
capital
Expense reports
hp://www.ppbadvisory.com/uploads/i175-Adavit-of-Neil-Georey-Singleton.pdf
You should review each tab of the les labeled i175. I am sure aggrieved investors will be outraged
by the fact that it appears PPBs invesgaons were in large part based on the incorrect informaon
of John Hempton and reporters Duncan Hughes and Stuart Washington and then charged to the
funds by PPB as conducng invesgaon fees.
My own precarious legal circumstances do not allow for me to openly raise my concerns in a formal
submission to your comiee or alternavely to you personally. I hope that you connue your
invesgaons and make all those responsible for this maer accountable.
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Bob
Attachments:
frozenfunsaph.pdf 2.2 MB
2011emailstoMPPaulFletcher