Hotel search warrants in Thomson case

Search warrants were executed at the Westin Hotel in Sydney. Source: Supplied

POLICE have seized documents from an upmarket Sydney hotel and a union-affiliated credit union as they step up investigations into former Labor MP Craig Thomson.

Search warrants were executed on Tuesday at the Westin Hotel in Sydney's CBD, fraud squad detectives seizing "a number of documents" as part of Operation Vespine, which is investigating claims Mr Thomson used union credit cards to pay for prostitutes and other unauthorised goods.

It is understood the documents include screen shots from hotel CCTV footage shot in 2005.

Police also took documents from the State Government Employees (SGE) credit union in Sydney as Victorian detectives continue their investigation into whether Mr Thomson broke the law while he was Health Services Union boss.

Mr Thomson - who has vehemently denied any wrongdoing in the HSU scandal - was this month charged with 154 fraud offences by Victorian police. He also faces civil proceedings in the Federal Court after Fair Work Australia alleged he used union credit cards to pay for escort services on a dozen occasions and breached industrial laws a total of 37 times.

Union records show Mr Thomson stayed at the five-star Westin Hotel in May 2005, paying an amount of $255.53 on May 8. Victorian police allege he "dishonestly" spent $770 on "sexual services" on May 7 through a company known as International Immobiliarie, trading as Boardroom Escorts.

The Westin hotel chain yesterday declined to comment on the police action, but the Federal Court heard last month that "documents captured as screen shots" from security cameras had been located.

In a statement, NSW police said that "detectives from the NSW Police Fraud and Cybercrime Squad's Strike Force Carnarvon (on Tuesday) executed a search warrant at a hotel in Martin Place, Sydney.

"Investigators also served a Notice to Produce at a state-government-employees credit union in Clarence Street, Sydney," the statement said. "The warrant and notice were executed with the assistance of Victorian police officers attached to Operation Vespine. Investigators seized a number of documents from each address. These have been transferred to the custody of Victoria Police."

Responding to the latest police actions, Mr Thomson's lawyer, Chris McArdle, told News Limited: "It's a pity they are wasting their time. They should be chasing real criminals."

Dave Taylor, the CEO of SGE Credit Union, said he was "astounded" that NSW police had disclosed information about the Thomson investigation.

Former HSU boss president Michael Williamson was chairman of the SGE Credit Union from 2003 until he resigned in mid-2012.

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