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Two Victorian men have been charged with using insider information to bet on the winner of three Australian of the Year Awards.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a statement on Thursday that a 38-year-old from Mount Martha and a 39-year-old from Mornington were set to appear in the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court that same day.
The AFP alleges the pair used information from a Commonwealth employee to place bets on a series of awards between 2017 and 2019.
Winners over the three years included biomedical scientist Alan Mackay-Sim, quantum physicist Michelle Simmons and
It is alleged the Mornington man provided information to the Mount Martha man, the latter of whom allegedly received $13,302 from the bets.
The charges come after the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission provided a report to the AFP detailing betting irregularities in the 2021 Australian of the Year Awards.
“The misuse of official or privileged information erodes public trust in our institutions,” AFP Detective Superintendent Glenn Tod said in a statement.
“The consequences for those abusing positions of trust can be extremely serious,” he said.
The AFP said the Mornington man had been charged with three counts of abuse of public office, which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.
The Mount Martha man has been charged with three counts of aiding, abetting, counselling, or procuring offences of abuse of public office, which also has a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.