Harold Shand.
BRISBANE businessman Harold Shand has been found guilty of arranging to pay a $60,000 secret commission to disgraced politician Gordon Nuttall.
A District Court jury in Brisbane, took exactly two days to find Harold Warner Shand had corruptly paid former Industrial Relations Minister Gordon Nuttall $60,000 on April 12, 2002.
Mr Shand, 59, had pleaded not guilty to giving a secret commission to the now-jailed former minister Nuttall.
The jury had indicated at noon it was deadlocked, but after being given the so called "Black Direction" by Judge Milton Griffin, SC, the jury resumed deliberations and returned just after 2pm.
Mr Shand was to be sentenced late today.
Nuttall is serving 12 years jail after being convicted at two unrelated trials of receiving corrupt payments from various businessmen.
Before Mr Shand's trial started, the jury was told to ignore the fact Nuttall was corrupt as it did not necessarily mean Mr Shand had acted in a similar way.
The jury heard allegations Mr Shand, a former excecutive of the mining company which ran central Queensland's Jellinbah mine and its supply company, had no legitimate reason for arranging $60,000 be paid into Nuttall's account.
It was after Nuttall approached Mr Shand's effective boss Jim Gorman for money.
Prosecutor Ross Martin, SC, told the jury to examine closely what Mr Gorman had said to implicate Mr Shand which Mr Martin claimed was little.
Mr Martin said in the end it didn't matter if Mr Shand had acted at the instigation of Mr Gorman.
"There is no "I was told to do it defence" in this case," Mr Martin said.
He said Mr Shand had told four fundamental lies to Crime and Misconduct Commission hearings which showed Mr Shand had something to hide.
However, in his address to the jury, Mr Glynn attacked Nuttall's behaviour in approaching millionaire businessman Gorman for money in an outrageous and shameless way asking for a block of land, cash and expensive houses.
Mr Glynn said the jury might think Mr Gorman had eventually hoped to get Nuttall off his back by telling Mr Shand to pay Nuttall the $60,000.
"Mr Gorman may well have thought it was worth it to avoid constant embarassment," Mr Glynn added.
He said the jury should also look at whether Mr Shand had a motive to have a cabinet minister in his pocket when he had resigned and had only a few months left in the job while a replacement was found.
Mr Glynn said it was "pretty plain" what Mr Shand did he did it at the request of Mr Gorman.
In his summing up to the jury, Judge Milton Griffin, SC, said the jury should be very cautious about acting only on the evidence of Mr Gorman.
Judge Griffin said Mr Gorman had much to gain by giving favourable evidence for the prosecution and Mr Gorman knew of the value of a certificate to prevent him being prosecuted if he gave evidence.
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