Fed: Husband of Lindsay candidate pleads guilty over leaflets

AAP General News (Australia)
04-29-2008
Fed: Husband of Lindsay candidate pleads guilty over leaflets

SYDNEY, April 29 AAP - The husband of former Lindsay Liberal candidate Karen Chijoff
has pleaded guilty to distributing bogus pamphlets during last year's federal election
campaign.

Greg Alex Chijoff today pleaded guilty in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court to one
count of distributing electoral material without the name and address of the authorising
person.

Chijoff was one of five men charged over the leaflets, which purported to be from a
radical Islamic group aligned with the Labor Party.

The pamphlets claimed Labor supported terrorism and wanted forgiveness for the Bali bombers.

Chijoff and the husband of former Liberal MP Jackie Kelly, Gary Clark, were allegedly
photographed by Labor officials putting the pamphlets in letterboxes in the western Sydney
seat.

Another of the accused men, Troy Craig, also pleaded guilty over the scam and Magistrate
Pat O'Shane was to deal with both their cases this afternoon.

Clark and NSW Liberal right faction powerbroker Jeffrey Egan pleaded not guilty before
Ms O'Shane and their cases were adjourned to May 27.

The fifth accused, Robert Mathew Holstein, applied for an adjournment and is due to
appear in the same court on May 20.

Egan and Chijoff were ousted from the Liberal Party following the controversy, although
Egan was permitted to return in February this year before resigning in March.

The men face a maximum $1,000 fine for breaching the electoral act.

Lindsay, which was a key seat at the federal election, swung to Labor by a large margin
following the controversy, and the ensuing damage to the reputation of the Liberal Party
was credited in part with Labor's resounding election win.

AAP ajc/dg/hn/sp

KEYWORD: LEAFLETS CHIJOFF (PIX AVAILABLE)

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.