ORGANIZED
CRIME RESEARCH MELBOURNE: THE
SUKKUR RAIL DISASTER PAKISTAN 1990 - PART 1
THE CROSSHEADS APPEARING IN PART 1 ARE:
THE SUKKUR TRAIN CRASH PAKISTAN ON 04 JANUARY 1990
PAKISTAN NOMINATES TRUMP FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
AT LEAST NINE RECOGNISED TAFSIRS BY RESPECTED ELDERS
AYAH 256 OF SURAH AL-BAQARAH PROCLAIMS PROFOUND WISDOM
ALLAH IS MY WITNESS - THE FIRM HANDHOLD THAT NEVER BREAKS
GENERAL MUHAMMAD ZIA-UL-HAQ - INSHA-ALLAH A RIGHTEOUS MAN
THE MURDER OF HIND RAJAB: A MOST HEINOUS CRIME
SUKKUR RAIL CRASH WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT
ALLEGATIONS THAT HAMER WAS BEING BLACKMAILED
GEORGE FREW REFUSES TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY
LIBERAL PARTY MPs CHASTISE WILLIAMS
EXTRACT FROM LETTER TO SONIA HORNERY NSW MLA DATED 03
MAR 2010
CASINO SYNDICATE HEADED BY GARRICK GRAY
WILLIAMS PERSECUTED BECAUSE OF HAMER ALLEGATIONS
WILLIAMS FED FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT MACKAY'S MURDER
ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ALEXOPOULOS BROTHERS ON THE 25TH OF MAY
1982
PETER PALTOS 'THE BIGGEST RACE FIXER IN THE COUNTRY'
ALLEGATIONS AGAINST CON ALEXOPOULOS ON THE 3RD OF JUNE 1982
[EDITORIAL NOTE: THE TEXT BELOW NEEDS TO BE REWRITTEN AND EXPANDED
BUT I AM ILL AT THE MOMENT AND IT MAY TAKE ME TIME TO DO SO.]
Over the years I have refrained from testifying about certain
matters because I believed that it was better to be silent, rather than
make ‘fitnah’ (an Arabic word of wide-ranging meaning that
includes civil unrest, anarchy, social upheaval, riots, mayhem - see my
page GLOSSARY OF ISLAMIC TERMS ).
However, since Allah’s (subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to
Him, the Most High) enemies have wantonly killed more than 70,000 of
my unarmed brothers and sisters in Islam in Gaza and have been extending
their butchery to the West Bank - including the murder of helpless little
babies who are utterly innocent in the eyes of my beloved Allah (subhanahu
wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most High) - it is obvious I can no
longer be quiet.
I need to tell what I believe to be the truth about incidents that
occurred while I was living in Pakistan from April 1985 to September 1990
and those events in Melbourne, Australia, that led up to them.
THE SUKKUR
TRAIN CRASH PAKISTAN ON 04 JANUARY 1990
For many years I have believed that the Sukkur
train crash that occurred in Pakistan on the 04th of January 1990 was not an
accident, but a vicious act of sabotage and murder, carried out by
Allah’s (subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most High) enemies
- the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States (CIA).
The CIA are the enemies of Rasoolullah (sall-allahu
alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him), (khātam an-nabīyīn - the last of the Prophets ) and the
enemies of Islam - the straight path of the Sunnis.
The Sunnis are the righteous ones who reject the path of those who
have incurred His wrath (such as the Jews) and the way of those who have
gone astray (such as the Christians).
But, aside from telling a few people I covered the
matter up. What was the point of telling the truth if all it was going to do
was make 'fitnah' . I could not prove my suspicions - but
considering my background and the circumstances surrounding the crash the
incident was more than suspect.
I should add too that I believe that the enemies of Islam not only
were responsible for the Sukkur rail crash but orchestrated much of the
harassment of me that had erupted in Pakistan from time to time while
I was living there from April 1985 to September 1990. Someof Allah’s
enemies have a long reach and deep pockets.
Before going into details, I want to address one important
question. Why don’t I return to Pakistan to give evidence. (Obviously, It's
a rhetorical question so there's no question mark.)
PAKISTAN
NOMINATES TRUMP FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
Insha-Allah, I wouldn't even consider returning and
there are several reasons why. Firstly, I don’t trust the Pakistan
Government. What sort of Muslim government – or more accurately so-called
Muslim government – nominates one of Allah’s (subhanahu wa ta’ala -
glory be to Him, the Most High) greatest enemies for the Nobel
Peace Prize. A man who at the time – June 2025 – had been complicit in the
killing of about 56,000 Muslims in Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces
(IDF).
Well, the answer is the government of Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif
in Pakistan did just that. They nominated a man who is an enemy of Islam for
the Nobel Peace Prize.
In June 2025 the Pakistan Government announced that it was
nominating the President of the United States, Donald Trump, for the Nobel
Peace Prize because they claimed he had played a pivotal role in mediating an
end to a four-day conflict between India and Pakistan in May of that year.
According to a report published by the respected media outlet
AlJazeera on the 21st of June 2025 the Pakistan Government posted the following
statement on the social media website X:
“President Trump demonstrated great strategic foresight and
stellar statesmanship through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad
and New Delhi, which de-escalated a rapidly deteriorating situation.
“This intervention stands as a testament to his role as
a genuine peacemaker and his commitment to conflict resolution
through dialogue.”
See Aljazeera’s report for the 21st of June 2025 at: Trump Nobel Peace Prize .
It is important to note that Trump’s role in mediating the
resolution of the conflict has been disputed. BBC News reported on the 22nd of
June 2025 that: “India has denied the US served as a mediator to end
the fighting last month and says it does not want any diplomatic intervention
from a third party.”
To view the BBC’s full report, click BBC Pakistan nominates Trump .
[ EDITORIAL NOTE: SOME MEMBERS OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY HAVE
MISGIVINGS ABOUT THE BBC AND DOUBTS ABOUT ITS OBJECTIVITY. AS A FORMER
JOURNALIST I CAN ONLY SAY I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE IN ITS PROFESSIONALISM - ITS
BALANCED REPORTING, ITS INTEGRITY.]
In support of my claim that Donald Trump is an enemy of Islam
allow me to quote from his 2015 website. The site has since been taken down,
but a media statement about Islam dated 07th of December 2015 said it
all. The statement was headed: DONALD J. TRUMP STATEMENT
ON PREVENTING MUSLIM IMMIGRATION.
It included the following: ". .
. Shariah authorizes such atrocities as murder against
non-believers who won't convert, beheadings and more unthinkable acts
that pose great harm to Americans, especially women."
Needless to say, such claims as "murder against
non-believers who won't convert" are utterly false. A
Muslim is not allowed to impose his or her religious beliefs on anyone and
it is strictly forbidden to force anyone to convert to Islam. Such
conversions are not recognised by the Shariah.
To confirm that forced conversions to Islam are forbidden by the Shariah I refer readers to Surah Al-Baqarah Ayah 256:
The translation below is from the 10-volume English rendering
of Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Volume 2, page 30, second edition, July 2003. It was abridged and supervised by Sheikh Safiur-Rahman
Al-Mubarakpuri and published by Darussalam.
“256. There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the
right path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut
and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that
will never break. And Allah is All- Hearer, All-Knower.”
The verse is accompanied by the following exegesis by Shaykh Ibn Kathir (rahmatullah alayhi – may the mercy of Allah be upon him) :
IT BEGINS:
“No Compulsion in Religion.
“There is no compulsion in religion", meaning ’Do
not force anyone to become Muslim, for Islam is plain and clear, and its proofs
and evidence are plain and clear. Therefore, there is no need to force anyone
to embrace Islam. Rather, whoever Allah directs to Islam, opens his heart for
it and enlightens his mind, will embrace Islam with certainty. Whoever Allah
blinds his heart and seals his hearing and sight, then he will not benefit from
being forced to embrace Islam.
“It was reported that the Ansar were the reason behind
revealing this Ayah, although its indication is general in meaning. Ibn Jarir
recorded [IN AN HADITH] that Ibn 'Abbas said [that before Islam],
"When [an Ansar] woman
would not bear children who would live, she would vow that if she gives birth
to a child who remains alive, she would raise him as a Jew. When Banu An-Nadir
(the Jewish tribe) were evacuated (from Al-Madinah), some of the children of
the Ansar were being raised among them, and the Ansar said, 'We will not
abandon our children.'
Allah [then] revealed. ” There is no compulsion in religion. Verily. the right path has
become distinct from the wrong path."
THE COMMENTARY BY SHAYKH IBN KATHIR ENDS.
In his commentary Shaykh Ibn Kathir noted that the above hadith from Ibn 'Abbas, " When [an Ansar] woman would not bear children . . ." could be read in Tafsir al-Tabari and also in the Ahadith of Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i.
The references according to Tafsir Ibn Kathir are:
At-Tabari 5:407;
Abu Dawud 3:132;
An-Nasa'i in Al-Kubra 6:304.
At-Tabari is the renowned Sunni Tafsir by the Persian scholar Allamah Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari who died in 310
Hijrah. The latter date is 923AD in the Gregorian calendar. I have replicated Shaykh Muhammad Shafi's (rahmatullah alayhi – may the mercy of Allah be upon him) notes about the Allamah and his Tafsir on my page AUTHORITATIVE TAFSEERS OF THE HOLY QUR'AN.
The Wikipedia article about Tafsir At-Tabari may be read by clicking At-Tabari Wikipedia.
The references to the Ahadith of Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i may be confusing for some readers, especially reverts, because I suspect that Ibn Kathir's Tafsir is citing the original Arabic numbering in the collections.
Reverts will discover that there are several numbering systems for Ahadith collections and what I do is I always cite the English-language collections published by Darussalam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They always print the original Arabic Hadith next to the English translation so any expert in Arabic can easily evaluate their authenticity.
In this case the above Hadith can be found in Volume 3 of Sunan Abu Dawud published by Darussalam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Hadith is number 2682, pages 304-305 of the first edition printed in July 2008.
It appears the reference above to ' An-Nasa'i in Al-Kubra 6:304' is to an Hadith in a collection that has not been published in English. It is not clear, but it seems Imam An-Nasa'i published a large collection of Ahadith - approximately 12,000 - in his work Al-Sunan al-Kubra and the Hadith in question is published in the chapter for Kitab al-Tafsir (The Book of Exegesis) regarding Surah Al-Baqarah.
Even though the Al-Sunan al-Kubra is not available in English a shorter version - which has been published by Darussalam and others - is available in English but it does not contain the above Hadith.
The matter of Imam An-Nasa'i reporting the above Hadith needs to be investigated further. I have only had a cursory glance at the issue.
AT LEAST NINE RECOGNISED TAFSIRS BY RESPECTED ELDERS
Traditionally there are at least nine recognised Tafsirs by the respected elders which are seen as being authoritative, providing reliable guidance for those who believe. Those nine include Tafsir Al-Tabari. The Wikipedia article about the Tafsir can be read at Tafsir Al-Tabari WIKI .
Mufti Muhammad Shafi (rahmatullah alayhi – may
the mercy of Allah be upon him) discusses all nine on pages 45-49 of Volume 1 of the English translation of Ma'ariful Qur'an. A discussion about his comments can be read on my page AUTHORITATIVE TAFSEERS OF THE HOLY QUR'AN .
Because I believe it is so good, I would add Ma'ariful Qur'an to that list, which means in total there are at least ten Tafsirs available for those who believe. However, they are not all available in English and unless you are very good with classical Arabic some of them can prove more than challenging.
See my pages MA'ARIFUL QUR'AN – AN EXCELLENT TAFSEER THAT IS IDEAL FOR REVERTS and AUTHORITATIVE TAFSEERS OF THE HOLY QUR'AN .
And, as for Trump's remarks "beheadings and more unthinkable acts that pose great harm to Americans, especially women" they are little more than scaremongering for political gain. Women have nothing to fear from Islam, on the contrary it can be of endless benefit to them.
AYAH 256 OF SURAH AL-BAQARAH PROCLAIMS PROFOUND WISDOM
Readers should note that Ayah 256 also includes the most profound wisdom - a foundation which if you stand upon will never fail you - Allah proclaims that "Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break".
Below is an extract from the commentary on the verse by Shaykh Ibn Kathir (r ahmatullah alayhi – may the mercy of Allah be upon him).
IBN KATHIR'S COMMENTARY BEGINS:
Tawhid is the Most Trustworthy Handhold.
Allah's statement:
“Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah,
then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And
Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.”
[It] is in reference to, Whoever shuns the rivals Of Allah,
the idols, and those that Shaytan calls to be worshipped besides Allah, whoever
believes in Allah’s Oneness, worships Him alone and testifies that there is no
deity worthy of worship except Him, then
“then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold”
Therefore, this person will have acquired firmness [in
the religion] and proceeded on the correct way and the straight path.
Abu Al-Qasim Al-Baghawi recorded that ‘Umar said :
“Jibt
means magic and Taghut means Shaytan. Verily, courage and cowardice are two
instincts that appear in men, the courageous fights for those whom he does not
know and the coward runs away from defending his own mother.
“Man's honor resides with his religion and his status
is based upon his character, even if he was Persian or Nabatian.”
‘Umar's
statement that Taghut is Shaytan is very sound, for this meaning includes every
type of evil that the ignorant people of Jahiliyyah (pre Islamic era of ignorance)
fell into, such as worshipping idols, referring to them for judgement, and
invoking them for victory.
Allah’s statement, “then he has grasped the most
trustworthy handhold that will never break" means, "He will have hold of
the true religion with the strongest grasp." Allah equated this adherence
to the firm handhold that never breaks because it is built solid and because
its handle is firmly connected.
This is why Allah said “then he has grasped the most
trustworthy handhold that will never break.”
Mujahid said, “The most trustworthy handhold is iman
(faith).
THE EXTRACT FROM IBN KATHIR'S COMMENTARY ENDS.
ALLAH IS MY WITNESS - THE FIRM HANDHOLD THAT NEVER BREAKS
And I take Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to Him,
the Most High) who swears by the snorting chargers in Surah
100, Al-'Adiyat, as my witness that I have told the truth about
the statement on Trump's 2015 website.
The shaytans can run, they can hide, they can lie, they can deny,
they can cringe; but there is no escape from Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala -
glory be to Him, the Most High). How I love those snorting chargers.
The French Medieval knights used to call such war horses
'destrier' and ride them into battle. Many nations had such magnificent beasts,
but as every Muslim knows such fighting is only legitimate when it's Jihad in
Allah's eyes (subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most High).
Everybody else is just fighting for Iblis - utterly in vain.
Surah 100, Al-'Adiyat
1. By the (steeds) that run, with panting
(breath),
2. Striking sparks of fire (by their hooves),
3. And scouring to the raid at dawn
4. And raise the dust in clouds the while,
5. Penetrating forthwith as one into the midst (of the foe);
6. Verily! Man (disbeliever) is ungrateful to his Lord;
7. And to that fact he bears witness (by his deeds);
8. And verily, he is violent in the love of wealth.
9. Knows he not that when the contents of the graves are
brought out and poured forth (all mankind is resurrected).
10. And that which is in the breasts (of men) shall be made
known.
11. Verily, that Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) their
Lord will be Well-Acquainted with them (as to their deeds), (and will reward
them for their deeds).
The above quote is from the Noble Qur'an translated
by Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud Din al-Hilali and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, published
by Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
[EDITORIAL NOTE: I HAVE REFERRED ABOVE TO 'IBLIS'. IT IS THE PERSONAL NAME OF SHAYTÂN (SATAN) OR THE
CURSED DEVIL, AS FOUND IN THE QUR'ÂN. IBLIS IS BELIEVED TO BE A PROMINENT
MEMBER OF THE JINN, A CLASS OF ALLAH'S CREATION. SEE MY PAGE GLOSSARY OF ISLAMIC TERMS . ]
That statement by Trump may have been issued more than 10 years
ago, but I doubt his mindset has changed since then. I believe he is still an
enemy of Islam despite his posturing.
Having explained one of the key reasons why I’m not willing to
return to Pakistan to testify – that I don’t trust the present administration –
I would like to add that gone are the days when I lived in Pakistan, when
men like General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq ruled.
GENERAL
MUHAMMAD ZIA-UL-HAQ - INSHA-ALLAH A RIGHTEOUS MAN
I believe Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was a righteous man who prayed five
times a day, fasted during the Holy month of Ramadan, paid the zakat and
believed in the Shariah. I believe he was murdered along with 29 of his
colleagues by Shaytan in a plane crash because of his attempts to uphold the
Shariah.
Those days have been swept away. Now all we have are people who
bow and scrape before one of Allah’s (subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to
Him, the Most High) greatest enemies.
If readers want to know more about the general, then as a starting
point they can read the Wikipedia article about him. The link is Zia-ul-Haq Wikipedia.
Readers need to know that there is controversy surrounding his
life and his death. I hold personal opinions about both that some may not agree
with. All I am willing to say is that the general is not forgotten.
I wrote a review of a book by the ninth Prime Minister of
Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, entitled The Third World: New Directions which
was published in The Age, Melbourne, on the 07th of January 1978. A copy is
attached. The link is The Age Third World: new directions .
Bhutto had been deposed in a military coup by General Muhammad
Zia-ul-Haq in July 1977 and the former was later put on trial in Lahore for the
murder of a political opponent.
I predicted in the book review that if Bhutto was found guilty of
murder he would be hanged.
Later he was found guilty and duly executed. Readers need to know
that there is a lot of controversy about the trial with allegations that it was
unfair. Those interested can read about Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on
Wikipedia. The link is Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Wikipedia .
THE MURDER
OF HIND RAJAB: A MOST HEINOUS CRIME
An incident reported by BBC News on the 10th of
February 2024 has always stayed with me. It isn’t easy to forget, and it was
one of the main reasons why I decided I should testify against the Central
Intelligence Agency of the United States (CIA) and the Australian
Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) even if I couldn't prove my
allegations.
It’s a report about the death of a six-year-old girl, Hind Rajab,
who was killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with other members of her
family while trying to flee to safety in Gaza,
Her story, as reported by BBC News, can be read on the following
pages:
HIND RAJAB BBC 10 FEB 24 - 1
HIND RAJAB BBC 10 FEB 24 - 2
HIND RAJAB BBC 10 FEB 24 - 3
HIND RAJAB BBC 10 FEB 24 - 4
The link to the BBC's story is: Hind Rajab 10 February 2024.
I see Hind's murder as being symbolic of the killing of the other
thousands upon thousands of Palestinian children by the Jews in Gaza and the
West Bank. Killings that motivated me to decide I should testify about
events in Melbourne in the 1970s and 1980s and what came to pass when I flew to
Pakistan in 1985.
For more details about the butchery and killings carried out by
the IDF in Gaza and the West Bank see my page Gaza: IDF killing unarmed Muslims.
Insha-Allah, it is time to talk.
May Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most
High) give me the strength to complete the task and have pity upon me,
an utterly worthless wretch of no importance.
Last year I published pages on quran-e-hakim.net headed
‘organized crime research and its consequences'.
I took the pages down on the 09th of July 2024, partly because I
felt my intentions were being misunderstood, one of my brothers in Roselands,
Sydney, thought I was having a go at the Pakistanis but that wasn't my idea.
I was trying to subtly say that I suspected the CIA had
infiltrated their ranks and made mischief. However, I didn't want to spell it
out at the time because I didn't want to make any fitnah .
I also took the pages down partly because I wanted to review them.
They included a lie on my part – a lie which I believed
was halal under the circumstances.
I believed it was halal because I could not prove my
suspicions and I thought it was better to lie rather than to make mischief.
However, in light of the repugnant behaviour of the Jews in Gaza
and on the West Bank I have decided to tell what I believe is the truth about
certain events that occurred while I was living in Pakistan from April 1985 to
September 1990 and those events in Australia that were the root cause of them.
SUKKUR RAIL
CRASH WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT
So, Insha-Allah, let's take a look at the lie.
It appears in the text below that I have copied from the
report I published last year and which was deleted on the 09th of July. The lie
concerns the Sukkur rail disaster on the 04th of January 1990. To
go to Wikipedia's article about the crash click Sukkur rail disaster . I have also attached a copy of
Wikipedia’s page to this website. It can be viewed at Sukkur rail crash .
THE EXTRACT READS:
"GET STEAMED UP – TRAVEL PR
"I made the return journey from Islamabad to Karachi
initially by bus and then joined the train at Rahim Yar Khan in Sindh Province.
It had been all but impossible to catch the train at Rawalpindi – the platform
was so overcrowded you couldn’t move – so I elected to catch a flying coach.
"I knew it would be an uncomfortable trip but hoped I could
join the train further down the track. I was fortunate in that I was able
to do so at Rahim Yar Khan.
"It was that journey south from Islamabad that was to form
the basis of my story for Dawn headed ‘ If you
want to get steamed up –
travel PR’ that was published in their Magazine on the
30th of March 1990.
EDITORIAL NOTE: A COPY OF DAWN'S STORY CAN BE SEEN
AT:
DAWN 30 MAR 1990 I F YOU WANT TO GET STEAMED UP - 1
DAWN 30 MAR 1990 I F YOU WANT TO GET STEAMED UP - 2
"Originally, the Editor of Dawn’s Magazine,
Anjum Niaz, wanted me to write an investigatory piece about the Sukkur rail
disaster that occurred on the 04th of January 1990, but I felt it was too
challenging for me to carry out such an investigation and opted for a
light-hearted piece that underscored the overcrowding on passenger
trains.
"A copy of the Wikipedia article about the Sukkur rail
disaster is attached. The link is Sukkur rail 04 Jan 90 .
"The crash was a shocking accident in which more than 300
people were killed. Unfortunately, it excited the imaginations of some people
and there were some unfounded rumours spread that India was
responsible. It's possible that Anjum had those rumours in mind when she asked
me to write an investigatory piece about the disaster. She may have hoped to
quell such gossip if the paper published a fact-based enquiry.
"However, I had already done one investigatory piece for
Dawn’s sister publication, the evening newspaper, The Star, which had proved to
be of concern. I had written a story that was published in The Star
on the 14th of December 89 about the alleged murder of the Regional Director of
the Pakistan Narcotics Control Board, Altaf Ali Khan.
"The police described his death as suicide, but there were
many aspects of the case that raised doubts about the official version.
"Even though I was confident I could handle such
investigatory stories in Pakistan there were aspects to my writing of The Star
story that made me wary. I make no mention of it in the article, but as
part of my research into the allegations that Altaf Ali Khan had been murdered
it was necessary for me to interview a doctor.
"I met him at his surgery at night and we had only just begun
talking when there was a loud banging on the door of his surgery with people
screaming in English – not Urdu, but English – that they demanded to see him
immediately.
"Several men burst into his room demanding immediate medical
attention. I felt their demands were nothing more than a pretext and sensing
that I was the real target of their raucous behaviour sped past them and out of
the room.
"It was this incident that brought home to me that if I
was to work as an investigatory reporter in Pakistan, I had to have protection.
I made no mention in the story of the altercation at the doctor's surgery
simply because I hadn't even had a chance to frame my questions to him
when the men burst in, but on reflection I think it would have been wise to
spell out what had happened.
"I make mention in The Star story about an interview I had
with a senior Pakistan Narcotics Control Board (PNCB) officer and to make that
interview the Editor of Dawn, Ahmad Ali Khan, kindly provided me with a
car and a driver to take me to the venue.
"But, that was during the daytime and to interview the doctor
I had to travel at night by bus. Dawn’s driver wasn’t available at night and I
realised after the clash at the doctor’s surgery it was essential I always
had a driver from the newspaper with me.
EDITORIAL NOTE: A COPY OF THE STAR STORY CAN BE
SEEN AT:
THE STAR 14 DEC 1989 SUICIDE OR MURDER? - 1
THE STAR 14 DEC 1989 SUICIDE OR MURDER? - 2
"I knew such protection was not going to be
available all the time if I wrote an investigatory piece on the Sukkur rail
disaster, so I opted to write a light-hearted piece about the journey from
Islamabad to Karachi.
"Anjum wasn’t happy. I think if I was asked to
describe her reaction in one word it would be ‘fiery’. I had to admire her. I
knew how hard it must have been for her to hold such a senior rank and to have
to deal with wayward reporters such as me would have been tiresome.
"When I submitted the piece she not only made her displeasure
known but immediately complained to Ahmad Ali Khan, who handled the situation
very well.
"Don’t ever delude yourself into thinking that all Muslim
women are demure, dewy-eyed creatures who will murmur obediently to every
demand by a male. They’re not! And Anjum Niaz was the classic example of a
woman working in a highly demanding executive position as an editor in a
male-dominated Muslim society and like women all over the world she was aware
she had to be able to handle some men who might think they were superior simply
because of their gender."
EXTRACT FROM MY REPORT ENDS.
What was the lie?
In my report I wrote: "the crash was a shocking accident
. . ." but I believe it was not correct.
For years I have believed it was not an accident, but a vicious
act of sabotage and murder, carried out by Allah’s enemies - the Central
Intelligence Agency of the United States (CIA); the enemies
of Rasoolullah (sall-allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him), (khātam an-nabīyīn - the last of the
Prophets) ; the enemies of Islam - the straight path of the Sunnis.
But, aside from telling a few people I covered the matter up. What
was the point of telling the truth if all it was going to do was
make 'fitnah'. I could not prove my suspicions - but considering my
background and the circumstances surrounding the crash the incident was more
than suspect.
I should add too that I believe that the enemies of Islam not only
were responsible for the Sukkur rail crash but orchestrated much of the
harassment of me that had erupted in Pakistan from time to time while i
was living there. Some of Allah’s enemies have a long reach and deep pockets.
But now the Jews have shown their true hand - a pitiless hand of
cruelty and hate; of merciless brutality - I realise I can no longer remain
silent.
So now, Insha-Allah, it is time to speak up.
But why? Why would anybody deliberately sabotage a passenger train
carrying civilians – peaceful men, women and children – in an attempt to
discredit me. Surely you say ‘that can’t be right. Why would the
enemies of Islam seek to discredit you? You are of no importance’.
Well at first sight it could be suggested that the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States might have been only too pleased
to discredit me – they had a motive to do so.
ALLEGATIONS
THAT HAMER WAS BEING BLACKMAILED
While I was living in Melbourne in the early 1980s,
I had worked as a journalist and assisted a Liberal Party State Member of
Parliament, Morris Williams (Morrie), investigate organized crime
allegations that included claims the then Premier of Victoria, Rupert (Dick)
Hamer, was being blackmailed while he was in office.
See the Wikipedia entry for Morrie. The
link is Morris Williams (politician) . I have saved a copy of the Wikipedia
page, and it can be viewed at Morris Williams MP wiki .
The entry for Morris on the Parliament of Victoria’s website can
be viewed by clicking Morris Williams MP Vic . I have also saved a copy of the page
about Morrie from the Parliament of Victoria’s website. It can be viewed
at Morrie Williams MP Victoria .
The Victorian Parliament has two chambers, the Upper House, called
the Legislative Council, and the Lower House, called the Legislative Assembly.
Morrie was a member of the Legislative Assembly. Both Houses can be simply
referred to as the 'House'.
Victoria's Parliament is based on the Westminster system, which originated in the United Kingdom and is emulated in Parliaments throughout the world.
The allegation was that Hamer was being blackmailed by members of
the CIA because he had been filmed having sex with a child in a hotel room in
Pusan, South Korea, in July 1979.
It was alleged that the CIA had set him up, that they knew about
his predilection for extra-marital affairs - especially the young - and taken
advantage of his weakness.
He had gone to Pusan in July 1979 to jointly open with the Mayor
of Pusan the Commodore Dynasty hotel, which had been built by an Australian
hotel group headed by George Frew.
A story published in The Age on the 10th of July
1979 about Hamer’s visit to Pusan is attached.
There are two links. The first is a full page for that date so the
story can be seen in context. It is Hamer visits Pusan The Age 10 July 79 FP and the second is a close up of the
article. The link is Hamer visits Pusan The Age 10 July 79 ST .
I believe the Australian
Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) - aside from a few
individuals who were deeply concerned about the morality of the situation and
the risks posed to the integrity of the State of Victoria - not only knew Hamer
was being blackmailed but turned a blind eye to it.
It was because of the unwillingness of such key informants to
testify, that the allegations could not be proven in court and that’s what
matters. A journalist can make all the claims he likes but those claims
mean nothing unless he can prove them to be true.
If Morrie or I had testified in court that Frew and other
informants had alleged Hamer was being blackmailed while he was in office and
we could not prove they had told us those things, we could have been accused of
'hearsay' and worse, if any of them had then denied they had made any such
allegations, we ran the risk of being charged with perjury - a serious criminal
offence that carries a jail sentence.
Those charges would have been under Victoria State criminal law,
but as well as that we could have faced civil action by Hamer if we could not
prove our claims.
The reality is neither Morrie nor I could prove the allegations.
Nobody would testify in court.
GEORGE FREW REFUSES TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY
Not only would ASIO refuse to testify, but they
went into deniability mode. In other words, not only were they unwilling to
confirm that Hamer was being blackmailed but they were prepared to deny
they knew anything about the matter or worse still they were prepared to say
they had investigated the allegations and concluded they were not true (even
though they knew to the contrary).
My fears about the situation were exacerbated when another of the
key informants, George Frew, refused to testify in court.
Frew was willing to talk privately - the allegations were
widespread knowledge; many people knew about them including other politicians
on both sides of the House - but he was not willing to testify publicly.
George Frew was the founder and managing director of Commodore Ltd
- the Commodore group which owned hotels and motels throughout Australia and
which was to later build the Commodore Dynasty hotel in Pusan, South Korea
where Hamer was alleged to have been filmed having sex with a child.
The Age published a story on the 01 March 1972 about an offer by
Frew and another director Leslie Erdi for those shares they did
not already own in the company. As usual I have published the full page for the
01 March 1972 and published separately a close up of the story.
The link to the full page is The Age 01 March 1972 offer FP and the link to the story is The Age 01 March 1972 offer ST .
I concluded there were powerful forces at work trying to suppress
the truth about Hamer and my fears were confirmed in later years when Morrie
was intentionally fed false information and his reputation as a State
Member of the Legislative Assembly was shredded. (See below for further
details.)
The CIA knew all of the above and that aside from speaking about
the matter privately I wouldn’t publish. I couldn’t make such an
accusation without solid evidence to back it up. And Frew and others refused to
be publicly identified.
I suspected, but could never prove, that Frew was warned by
members of his staff that Hamer had been filmed.
Frew turned against me when he found out that I had reverted to
Islam in 1983. He died in December 2019. Even if he had been alive today,
I doubt he would have supported me in my allegations about Hamer. He was more
than displeased about my change of religion.
As for the matter of the CIA, Morrie certainly believed that the
CIA organized the filming and told the Truth newspaper in Melbourne about the
incident.
The story was published in The Truth on 08 March 1980. It is
however to my way of thinking a garbled piece. Insha-Allah I will return to
this matter later.
There is no doubt that Morrie was persecuted because of the
allegations. He had the strength of character - the moral fibre - to tell the
truth and speak up about Hamer being blackmailed and was vilified by other
members of the Liberal Party for doing so.
LIBERAL
PARTY MPs CHASTISE WILLIAMS
In support of this, read a story that was published
on page three of The Age on the 12th of March 1980. I have downloaded the story
to this website. So, readers can see the report in context I have
downloaded a half page screenshot and the article itself.
The links are Williams castigated FP ; Williams castigated ST and a third link to a close up of the
story Williams castigated ST ENL .
Readers can also view the story on newspapers.com by
clicking on: The Age 12 March 1980 page 3. However, they have to
pay newspapers.com to do so.
I want to make it clear, that I supported Morrie’s allegations
that Hamer was being blackmailed while he was in office and believed the film
existed. As for the Liberal Party room meeting reported by The Age on the 12th
of March 1980, I can only say some men should hang their heads in shame.
For Morrie to have been castigated in that meeting in
such an evil manner when some of those MPs knew he was speaking the truth is
utterly obscene; repugnant at best. Some of those individuals would have
called themselves Christians but the truth is they had made nothing but a
mockery of the religion. They wouldn't know a Christian if they fell over one.
EXTRACT FROM LETTER TO SONIA HORNERY NSW MLA DATED 03 MAR 2010
To facilitate my commentary on the matter of Hamer
being blackmailed, I quote below from a letter I wrote to a NSW state MP, Sonia
Hornery, dated the 03rd of March 2010.
There were actually two letters to Sonia Horney. The first was
dated the 15th of February 2010 and the second was dated 03 March 2010.
A copy of the first letter, which was background notes for the
meeting on the 03 March 2010, is attached. The link is SONIA LTTR 15 FEB 10. Please note that my former wife
Margaret did not sign the letter dated the 15 February 2010 because she was
living in Victoria at the time.
However, she attended the meeting on the 03rd of March 2010.
Sonia's entry for the Legislative Assembly can be viewed at NSW Parliament Hornery MLA.
I was living in Newcastle, Australia, at the time and Sonia
Hornery was my local state member for Wallsend. I had also met her while
working as a journalist for a community newspaper in Newcastle called ‘The
Post’.
I contacted her because I was concerned about the ongoing
harassment of me by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).
The quote is verbatim except that I have made some minor changes to the
indentation and punctuation.
THE QUOTE FROM MY LETTER TO SONIA BEGINS:
“Morris made a statement to The
Truth newspaper about Hamer being blackmailed. It was published on 8 March
1980.
“On page one Truth reported: ‘Some casino opponents are
spreading rumours that the Mafia has blackmailed a high-ranking Liberal MP
over a film showing him having sex with teenage girls in an Asian hotel.
‘Veteran Liberal backbencher Morris Williams has told Truth he believes the
film exists.’
“The story spills on to page two and among other things Williams
was reported as saying: ‘MAFIA bosses had moved in on the ‘shell’ of a company
and were hoping to use it to obtain a casino licence – with the help of
blackmail over the alleged sex film.
‘ORGANISED crime would control any casino established in Victoria.
AMERICAN CIA chiefs had become involved after discovering a multi-million
dollar meat racket in which sub-standard Australian meat was shipped to
hamburger chains in the United States under Mafia domination.
An Asian intelligence group had passed the sex film to the
American CIA in Australia who had then given it to ASIO.
’“Now firstly, you need to know that even though I did not start
dealing with Morrie until 1981 I had already met him.
I had been introduced to him by mutual friends in 1979 and I can
tell you this beyond a shadow of a doubt that Morrie knew as I did that the
blackmailing of Hamer had nothing to do with Garrick Gray or the casino.
“I say this because it was one of those mutual friends who
was a source of information on Hamer being blackmailed. He was not the only
source for me but he certainly carried a lot of weight,
“I also know for certain that Morrie was told as I was, that the
blackmailers had been CIA agents – it was them that commissioned the film not
Garrick Gray or anybody connected with him.
“I accept the allegations made by the informants and believe it
was quite correct that he was filmed having sex with an Asian girl in the hotel
room and it was indeed in Pusan, South Korea. I frankly couldn’t care less how
many girls were involved, what mattered, leaving aside any moral questions of
paedophilia, was that he was being blackmailed and according to the informants
it was costing the State money.
“In saying this I am not trying to make light of the moral aspects
of the matter. As I told you in my letter dated the 15th of February his
behaviour was appalling, but the reality is that he could not be
prosecuted.
“What was also alarming was that despite all the efforts made by
people to break the grip of the blackmailers the situation continued.
“It was also nonsense to talk in terms of the film being passed
by “An Asian intelligence group . . . to the American CIA in
Australia who had then given it to ASIO”.
“As I understand it the film was never in the hands of an Asian
intelligence group. The people who made the film according to my informants
were Korean criminals who had been commissioned by corrupt CIA agents.
“The film was then passed back to them but it was never in
the hands of anybody in ASIO in the sense that the matter was under their
control and Hamer was safe.
“According to my informants an attempt by honest ASIO agents to
investigate the allegations failed and inquiries into the matter were
suppressed.
“When Morrie and I started dealing with one another in 1981 I
asked him about the story that appeared in Truth because I was
annoyed on the one hand and puzzled on the other. I knew my informant had told
Morrie the truth and I couldn’t understand how such a jumbled version of events
could have been published.
"Morrie defended himself by saying that you had to be careful
what you said, which was quite true, nobody felt like putting their head in a
noose, but he also added that at the time the story was published he wasn’t
sure of the truth. He knew Hamer was being blackmailed but he wasn’t certain
who was responsible.
"He claimed that the informant hadn’t been as forthcoming as
he had been with me until after the story was published. It was a defence that
probably had a lot of truth in it, but I still found the situation irksome.”
THE QUOTE FROM THE LETTER TO SONIA HORNERY ENDS.
[EDITORIAL NOTE: In my letter to Sonia Hornery I wrote: “When
Morrie and I started dealing with one another in 1981 I asked him about the
story that appeared in Truth because I was annoyed on the one hand
and puzzled on the other. . ." but, I must admit that it is possible
I started dealing with Morrie in the last half of 1980, not 1981 as I told
Sônia.
It's a long time ago and it's not so easy now to be certain about
dates.]
But the story that appeared in The Truth on the 08th of March 1980
was misleading. For a start the paragraph on the front page was
wrong. It read:
“Some casino opponents are spreading rumours that the Mafia has
blackmailed a high-ranking Liberal MP over a film showing him having sex with
teenage girls in an Asian hotel.”
Before proceeding with my comments about Hamer, I should explain
that at the time the state government was considering a proposal for the
building of a casino in Melbourne.
CASINO
SYNDICATE HEADED BY GARRICK GRAY
The proposal, which was first floated in 1979, was
being promoted by a syndicate headed by a solicitor called Garrick Gray – a
leading tax lawyer.
Morris Williams, myself, and others, including several politicians
and some journalists were opposed to the proposal, not just because of grave
concerns about Gray’s character, but on principle. We rejected the
idea of a casino.
I did so for religious reasons - gambling is forbidden in Islam -
and I know that some others were strongly against it. Allah (subhanahu
wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most High) states explicitly in Surah
Al-Ma'idah Ayah 90 that "Intoxicants, gambling, idols, and
drawing lots for decisions are all evil of Satan’s handiwork".
The full quotes for Ayah 90-91 are:
90: O believers! Intoxicants, gambling, idols,
and drawing lots for decisions are all evil of Satan’s handiwork. So shun
them so you may be successful.
91: Satan’s plan is to stir up hostility and hatred between
you with intoxicants and gambling and to prevent you from remembering Allah and
praying. Will you not then abstain?
The quotes are from quran.com. The translator
is Dr Mustafa Khattab. The link to the relevant Ayat is Surah Al-Ma'idah 90-91.
To exacerbate the matter, if we did raise the casino issue and
express our opposition, we were accused of being wowsers.
See the brief story from The Age dated 07th of August 1980. As
usual I have attached a full-page so the story can be seen in context plus the
article itself. The links are anti-wowser FP and anti-wowser ST.
In my page Garrick Gray - solicitor I have detailed some
of the background to the establishment of a casino in Melbourne. I have done so
partly because I believe that the casino issue was used to cover up the
allegations that Hamer was being blackmailed.
If anybody raised the blackmail allegations, then attempts would
be made to discredit them by saying that they were opposed
to the casino and were simply trying to tarnish Hamer’s name.
To the best of my knowledge no opponents of the proposed casino –
including Morrie and me – had claimed that the Mafia was blackmailing
Hamer by using the film that was alleged to have been made of him having sex
with a child in a hotel room in Pusan South Korea.
As way of explanation, I add that Gray had been accused of having
ties with the Gambino family – an infamous Mafia outfit based in New York. Even
though I believe the allegations were true it was all but impossible to prove
it, especially to the point where a court would uphold any such accusations.
Gray loved to threaten opponents with legal action, and it was
essential not to leave yourself exposed to a writ.
Gray sold Nine Darling Street reception rooms in mid-1979. From
what I recall the visit, or raid if you wish to call it that, by the police on
the premises took place in either 1977 or 1978, but I must admit I cannot now
be certain of the exact date.
Copies of a story published in The Age on the 04th
of August 1979 about Gray, headed ‘The man who raised the casino cash’ are
attached. It includes a reference to the sale of Nine Darling
Street. The links are The Age Gray Casino cash 04 August 1979 FULL PAGE and The Age Gray Casino cash 04 August 1979 STORY, but I have added a third link - a close
up of the story - because I find it difficult to read some of the text on my
laptop. The link is 04 August 1979 ST ENL.
[EDITORIAL NOTE: THERE IS AN INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN EARLIER COPY I
WROTE IN APRIL 2024 AND TEXT I WROTE RECENTLY, WHICH IS PROBABLY ACCOUNTED FOR
BECAUSE I'M TIRED FROM BEING ILL AND AS A RESULT, I AM FORGETFUL.
ON THE 14TH OF APRIL 2024 I WROTE: "Gray's position had been
further weakened when at one stage it became known that he and Patterson used
to play poker together at Nine Darling Street - reception rooms owned by Gray
in South Yarra - and that on one occasion during a 'visit' by police Gray and
Patterson had been found to be in the company of known criminals."
RECENTLY I WROTE: ". . . the police raided Nine Darling
Street while Gray and his associates were playing poker, but no charges were
laid because there was no money on the table.
I cannot now recall with certainty, but I think there were two
raids. Even though there was no money on the table the police took the names of
all those present.
"It was said the police were acting on a tip off about the
poker games, but tip offs can work two ways and there is no doubt that Gray
knew about the raids in advance. I believe that warning came from Jeff
Patterson. That was why there was no money on the table.
From what I recall Patterson was not present at the reception
rooms when the raids took place. "]
Gray's dead now but while he was alive, he was a formidable
presence in the Hamer years and his determination to establish a casino carried
a lot of weight in certain quarters.
The revelation that Patterson, had been linked to the mafia
family headed up by Carlo Gambino, not only damaged Gray but later also
Hamer, when he was under fire from some members of the Liberal Party because of
the tensions surrounding the allegations he was being blackmailed.
Even though most MPs were unaware of the specific allegations
against Gray they had heard rumours he was corrupt and that didn’t sit well
with some of them
For more about Gray see my story Garrick Gray - solicitor.
WILLIAMS PERSECUTED BECAUSE OF HAMER ALLEGATIONS
I have written above: “There is no doubt that
Morrie was persecuted because of the allegations. He had the strength of
character - the moral fibre - to tell the truth and speak up about Hamer being
blackmailed and was vilified by other members of the Liberal Party for doing
so.”
Because I am so weak physically from being ill, I have copied an
extract from a statement that I dropped from this website on the 14th of
April 24.
It deals with two issues, one concerning the Alexopoulos
brothers, Con and Athur, who operated night clubs in Prahran, Melbourne, and
the second about the murder in 1977 of Donald Mackay in Griffiths, NSW.
Even though I am satisfied that Morrie was intentionally fed false
information about the Mackay murder as part of a payback for telling the truth
about Hamer being blackmailed, I am not sure what happened with his information
about the Alexopoulos brothers, nor do I know how he got it.
There is no doubt he was flustered during his speech about Con
Alexopoulos on the 03 June 1982, but I simply don't know whether he was
intentionally fed false information that was designed to discredit him because
of his allegations about Hamer or he was fed false information in retaliation
for his attack on the Alexopoulos brothers in his speech on the 25th of May
1982.
WILLIAMS FED FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT MACKAY'S MURDER
In a speech of the 25th of May 1982 in
the Legislative Assembly, during the address in reply to the
Governor's Speech, Williams made false claims concerning the murder of
anti-drugs crusader Donald Mackay in Griffith in 1977.
He alleged that Mike "the Enforcer" Rizzetelo an
alleged mobster from the United States, had murdered
Mackay, allegations that were palpably false. Williams’ credibility was
left in tatters.
[EDITORIAL NOTE: James Frederick Bazley was convicted in 1986 of
conspiracy to murder Donald Mackay. A link to the Wikipedia article about
Donald Mackay is: DONALD MACKAY WIKIPEDIA.
The claims made by Williams about Donald Mackay’s murder had
nothing to do with James Frederick Bazley.]
The circumstances surrounding Williams' speech to the House were
troubling. Morrie had not told me he had received information about Mackay's
murder. I only learned that he was planning to make the speech from another
source - Donald Saltmarsh - a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), who was
friends with him.
Saltmarsh can be viewed on Wikipedia: DONALD SALTMARSH WIKI.
I immediately went to Parliament to confront Morrie about the
matter. Going up the stairs I bumped into an officer from the Victoria
Police Bureau of Criminal Intelligence (BCI) who had heard the same rumour -
that Morrie was planning to reveal the name of Donald Mackay's murderer.
I don't know, but I suspect that the officer's source for the
rumour was Donald Saltmarsh. The officer asked me if I knew who the
informant was and I told him I didn't know, but I was going to try to find
out.
The reality is I feared for Morrie. I knew how hot-headed he could
be and how he sometimes failed to check out the veracity of information he had
received.
I confronted him in his office and asked who the informant was. He
brushed me off and refused to discuss the matter, except to say that it was a
former NSW police officer. I pointed out that we were supposed to trust
one another and he should confide in me so I could check out not just the
source, but the accuracy of the information.
It just didn't happen. Instead of trusting me he just kept
muttering about 'confidentiality'. It just wasn't good enough.
Williams then went ahead and made the allegations during an
address in reply to the Governor's Speech on the 25th of May 1982. Hansard page
231.
His speech about Mackay reads:
“I know that is it a source of some amusement to Government party
members but this man, Rizzetelo, is the man who shot Donald Mackay, the
anti-drug campaigner, in Griffith on 17 July 1977.
Mr Miller - What is your evidence?
Mr WILLIAMS - “This 'man came here in a private jet with an
American entertainer. . . "
I was shocked by the claims made by Williams
that Mackay had been murdered by Rizzetelo and believed them to be
wrong. After the speech I demanded to know how we could contact the informant.
Williams sheepishly confirmed that he believed it had been a
former New South Wales policeman - I had cast doubts on the identity of the
informant - and admitted he had been unable to contact him.
Later attempts at contacting this person, proved all but fruitless
and it became obvious that Morrie had been set up.
Williams had been taken for a ride. The information was completely
wrong. I didn't doubt that he had been set up in an attempt to discredit him.
In the eyes of some people he had had far too much to say over the years,
especially about the allegations that Hamer was not only being blackmailed
while he was in office, but later when he stepped down from parliament.
What made the matter worse was that Morrie alleged that Rizzetelo
had come on a private jet with an American entertainer. Rumours circulating
after his speech claimed that the entertainer was Sammy Davis Jr, who performed
two live concerts in Sydney in April 1977.
Even though Sammy Davis Jr is alleged to have met mafia figures,
that was inevitable in his industry in those days, where some mobsters played a
key role in arranging bookings.
Under both the Shariah and Australian law, people are innocent
until they're proven guilty. To the best of my knowledge Sammy Davis Jr was
never convicted of any criminal offences.
The last thing we needed at the time was any suggestion that a
black American entertainer would transport a known mafia criminal to
Australia.
A full copy of the speech as it was reported in Hansard is
attached. The link is WILLIAMS HANSARD 25 MAY 1982.
A copy of a story published in The Age on the 27th of May 1982
headed MLA NAMES US MAN AS MACKAY'S KILLER is also attached. Once again, there
is a copy of the full page plus a copy of the story. The links are THE AGE 27 MAY 1982 FP and THE AGE 27 MAY 1982 ST.
Obviously sensing that something was wrong, The Age ran another
story on the 29th of May 1982 highlighting that the FBI had failed to comment
on Williams' allegations.
The links are THE AGE 29 MAY 1982 FP and THE AGE 29 MAY 1982 ST.
ALLEGATIONS
AGAINST ALEXOPOULOS BROTHERS ON THE 25TH OF MAY 1982
Even though Morrie only named Rizzetelo once as
Mackay's killer, in his speech on the 25th of May 1982 during
the address in reply to the Governor's Speech, he made two serious
allegations against members of the Greek community in Melbourne, Con and Arthur
Alexopoulos - the first in his speech of the 25th of May 1982 and the second in
his speech of the 03rd of June 82.
The first of the allegations on the 25th of May 1982 were
contained in the following three paragraphs. They are from page 230 of
Hansard of that date.
“Among the top men running the gambling scene in Australia are
self-styled betting commissionaire, George Freeman of Sydney and two
Melbourne entrepreneurs, Con and Arthur Alexopolous, brothers who run a
multi-million dollar starting-price interstate betting business. Their local
headquarters are located at 185 Russell Street, Melbourne.
“I inform the Minister for Police and Emergency Services that he
ought to make inquiries tomorrow morning on why the Police Force has not
enforced the Supreme Court judgment of Mr Justice Starke that Arthur
Alexopolous should discontinue running a common gaming house on the second
floor of 185 Russell Street, Melbourne. because a common gaming house is still
operating there in defiance of the order by Mr Justice Starke.
“I remind the House and the Minister for Police and Emergency
Services that the biggest race-fixing and racketeering operations going on in
racecourses both in Melbourne and Sydney are being carried out by George
Freeman, the Alexopolous brothers and another infamous man, Peter Paltos-Peter
the Greek - the biggest race fixer in the country."
A full copy of the speech as it was reported in Hansard is
attached. The link is WILLIAMS HANSARD 25 MAY 1982.
[EDITORIAL NOTE: IN THE HANSARD REPORT FOR THE 25TH OF MAY THE
BROTHERS’ SURNAME WAS MISSPELLED AS ALEXOPOLOUS. MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE
CORRECT SPELLING IS THAT THAT WAS REPORTED IN THE AGE STORIES OF THE 28TH OF
MAY, THE 04TH OF JUNE AND THE 08TH OF JUNE, NAMELY ALEXOPOULOS.]
What was concerning about Williams’ allegations of the 25th of May
was that he did not present any proof that either Alexopoulos brother was
continuing to run illegal gambling operations from 185 Russell Street.
It was not enough to rely on Mr Justice Starke’s order. Morrie
said:
“I inform the Minister for Police and Emergency Services that he
ought to make inquiries tomorrow morning on why the Police Force has not
enforced the Supreme Court judgment of Mr Justice Starke that Arthur
Alexopolous should discontinue running a common gaming house on the second
floor of 185 Russell Street, Melbourne. because a common gaming house is still
operating there in defiance of the order by Mr Justice Starke."
As well as quoting Mr Justice Starke's judgment against Arthur
Alexopoulos, Morrie needed to be able to prove that such gambling was ongoing,
and I don't believe he could do that - he lacked the concrete evidence
that the House needed for him to win their support.
I certainly had no proof of any such activities – I had heard the
allegations – but that wasn’t enough. You had to be able to prove such claims.
PETER
PALTOS 'THE BIGGEST RACE FIXER IN THE COUNTRY'
What was true was that a former tenant at the
premises, Peter Paltos, was alleged to have been running an SP operation there
and two other people – Victor Ma and Lincoln Hsu – were also said to be running
a common gaming house there.
But, Morrie made only an alluding reference to Peter Paltos in his
speech of the 25th of May 1982. See the text above from page 230 of Hansard. He
said:
“I remind the House and the Minister for Police and Emergency
Services that the biggest race-fixing and racketeering operations going on in
racecourses both in Melbourne and Sydney are being carried out by George
Freeman, the Alexopolous brothers and another infamous man, Peter Paltos-Peter
the Greek-the biggest race fixer in the country."
As I said above, what was puzzling was that Williams made only a
passing reference to Peter Paltos.
What readers need to understand is that there were two Peter
Paltos' - a father and a son - and it was the former who was more heavily
involved in the SP operations at 185 Russell Street than the latter.
It is true however that the son was involved - a training ground
for him if you like to put it that way.
As I wrote above, while I was living in Pakistan, I was repeatedly
harassed. I believed that harassment was being carried out by CIA agents
concerned about my research into the allegations that Hamer was being
blackmailed.
In an attempt to frighten them off - because I knew they would not
want me raising any allegations of corruption at all - I wrote a story for MAG
in Karachi which was published on the 26th of April 1990 headed ‘Claims Of
Corruption Should Be Treated Warily’ in which I tried to explain to the
Pakistanis that they were not the only ones facing problems because of high
level corruption.
In that story I set out some of the allegations about Peter Paltos
but made no mention of my investigations into the alleged blackmailing of
Hamer. That was a subject that I felt was too sensitive to be made public
without proof.
However, the allegations I had to make were far more comprehensive
than those made by Morrie. I directed my ire at the son, Peter Paltos, and
wrote:
"To illustrate just how deep the corruption is let me
cite a particular example. Illegal gambling is widespread at home [ED: in
Australia] and at one stage a man called Peter Paltos who was involved in
the illegal gambling industry was granted a licence to run a cabaret called the
Top Hat by a late state politician, Sir Arthur Rylah.
"Rylah had been friends with Paltos’ father who had been
working as an SP-a popular term for a man who is an illegal bookmaker. As you
know gambling on horse races is lawful in Australia and today people are
allowed to bet both on the course and off the course. But originally punters
were only allowed to bet at the racetrack with registered bookmakers.
"An SP was an unlicensed bookmaker who operated off the
course. In the days when the Australian currency was still pounds, shillings
and pence—today it is the dollar—Paltos’ father was making weekly settlements
of £1000 a week. A very large sum of money at the time.
"The word settlement means the amount of money one bookmaker
owes another after he has been laying off – that is passing on bets to
colleagues to try to minimise his losses if a particular horse wins.
"Paltos had got the cabaret licence through influence and was
not entitled to it. And it became a case of the initial corruption being
perpetuated and spreading."
A copy of the story published in MAG on the 26th of April 1990 is
attached. The link is MAG 26 APR 1990 - CORRUPTION 1-4.
If Williams had expanded on the allegations against the
Paltos duo he may have been far more successful than targeting the
Alexopoulos brothers. There was a welter of evidence against them
compared to the dubious evidence that Morrie raised in the House on the 25th of
May.
What I suspect is that just like the false allegations concerning
Donald Mackay, Morrie had been misled in targeting the Alexopoulos brothers.
All he did was to give them the opportunity to defend themselves and that is
just what they wanted.
In a story published by The Age on the 28th of May 1982, both
brothers categorically denied Williams' allegations. The links are The Age 28 May 82 Alex FP and The Age 28 May 82 Alex ST.
To compound the matter the story quotes Inspector Colin Greenway
of the Police licensing and gaming squad, as saying that "contrary to a
statement by Mr Williams, Mr Arthur Alexopoulos was not ordered by a Supreme
court judge last year to discontinue a gaming house in Rusell Street. The judge
instead accepted Mr Alexopoulos's assurance that he would not run one, Mr
Greenway said."
If that wasn't a slap in the face for Morrie nothing was. What I
feared most was what was happening, a campaign had been mounted to discredit
him and somebody had poisoned my relations with him.
I believe that was why Morrie had failed to consult me about the
Mackay allegations - whoever it was knew that if I found out in advance I would
have investigated the claims and put a stop to them being made public.
There was a time when Morrie would have consulted me before going
ahead with any public pronouncements so I could evaluate any information he
received. That was the arrangement we had with mutual friends from the Liberal
Party, who even though they admired his integrity and willingness to speak up,
were concerned that he could be too quick off the mark sometimes.
I had been a member of the Young Liberals for years and at one
stage won an award for the most improved branch magazine. Many people from
those years respected Morrie - as too did many senior branch members - but
several expressed concerned about his failure to confirm information.
This was partly because of the pressure of work - he had no staff
at his parliamentary office - and partly because it was not always easy to
assess informants.
Even though I was satisfied that the false Mackay allegations were
part of an attempt to discredit him because of his stand on Hamer it was more
difficult to evaluate the matter of the Alexopoulos brothers. It could have
just been a payback because he talked too much about such matters or it could
have been part of a concerted attempt to destroy his reputation.
I have noted above that I had written the story for MAG in
Karachi which was published on the 26th of April 1990 headed ‘Claims Of
Corruption Should Be Treated Warily’ in an attempt to frighten off the CIA
agents who I believed had been harassing me and I did the same thing with the
stories I wrote for Dawn in Karachi headed 'So, you don’t like Pakistan,
eh?' parts one and two published on the 05th and 12th of January 1990
respectively.
The links to the stories are So, you don't like Pakistan 05 Jan 90 - 1
and So, you don't like Pakistan 05 Jan 90 - 2
and So, you don't like Pakistan 12 Jan 90.
It had become obvious the CIA was trying to bring me down, but
there was no-one to turn to for help. People had been alienated by all the
stories circulated about me - that I was a Qadyani or a paedophile - and I just
felt it was hopeless trying to reach out to anyone. The stories I wrote for
Dawn are also attached to my page 'Living in Pakistan'.
Needless to say, I am not a Qadyani, nor a paedophile, nor a
Communist, nor a Shia - that one came up from time to time - I am
just what I say I am. A revert in 1983 to Islam - the straight path of the
Sunnis, who follows the Hanafi school.
ALLEGATIONS AGAINST CON ALEXOPOULOS ON THE 3RD OF JUNE 1982
My concern that Morrie had been intentionally fed
the false Mackay allegations as part of an attempt to discredit him because of
his stand on Hamer and my suspicions that he had been misled in making
allegations against the Alexopoulos brothers possibly for the same reason, were
exacerbated when on the 03rd of June 1982 he made a speech to the House in
the grievances debate condemning, Con Alexopoulos, for allegedly being corrupt.
He also claimed that Con Alexopoulos was shot in the legs by a
blast from a double-barrelled shotgun in November 1978.
Appearing below is an extract from Hansard, Page 686, of 03rd of
June 1982 in which Morris made the shotgun allegations.
“A man who attended a function at Los Gitanos [ED: a South
Yarra nightclub in Melbourne] one evening was beaten and kicked by Con
Alexopoulos and he received a broken leg. Subsequently in late 1977, Con
Alexopoulos appeared before the County Court and was convicted of kicking that
gentleman. Mr Alexopoulos was fined $1500, in default three months’
imprisonment. In November 1978, in Commercial Road, Prahran, Con Alexopoulos
was shot in the legs by a blast from a double-barrelled shotgun outside the
Colchester Cabaret at 2.10am.”
His speech in the House on the 03rd of June 1982 was reported in
The Age on Friday the 04th of June. It was written by Bill Birnbauer.
Two copies of The Age story are attached. The first focuses on the
story about Williams’ allegations that Alexopoulos was corrupt and he had
been blasted with a double-barrelled shotgun – the link is The Age Alexopoulos 04 June 82 ST and the second attachment is a copy of
the full page so the story can be seen in context. The Age Alexopoulos full page 04 June 82.
If you look at the story headed ‘Alexopoulos in shop racket, says
MLA’ published in The Age on Friday the 04th of June 1982 you will see there is
a breakout headed ‘Chuckles, but Williams says claims are no joke’.
In the breakout, Birnbauer highlights Williams’ inability to cope
and quite rightly points out that at times he broke into laughter, which was
quite inappropriate given the gravity of the allegations.
Birnbauer reported: “This time he was describing how Mr Con
Alexopoulos had been shot in the legs by a double barrel shotgun. Mr Williams’s
amusement, which drew peals of laughter from Government members, lasted until
he discovered that some of his speech notes had fallen on the floor. ‘Oh dear,
oh dear,’ he said, ‘I can’t even go with these notes.”
There is no doubt Williams became flustered while delivering the
speech – Birnbauer’s reporting can’t be challenged - but the performance
brought home to me that my suspicions were correct and my fears were well
founded. Somebody had been feeding Morrie false information almost certainly
because they were trying to destroy his credibility about the Hamer
allegations.
Not only had Morrie alienated me, by refusing to consult me, but
our friends in the Liberal Party – people I had known since I was in the Young
Liberals and senior branch members – no longer offered support.
The situation worsened when on Tuesday the 08th of June 1982 the
Age published a story headed ‘It’s a set-up: Alexopoulos’ in which Con
Alexopoulos refuted Morrie’s allegations. He made no mention of Morrie’s claims
that he had been blasted by a double-barrelled shotgun, but I place no
credibility on the matter.
Anybody blasted in both legs by a double-barrelled shotgun would
be lucky to survive, let alone be walking around to tell the tale.
The links to the 08th of June 1982 story are: The Age 08 June 82 FP and The Age 08 June 82 ST.
MORRIE'S PERFORMANCE APPALLING
Williams’ performance was so appalling that it did untold damage
to his reputation, and I never dealt with him again until after my return from
Pakistan in September 1990.
My former wife Margaret accompanied me when I visited Morrie. From
what I recall we saw him about three times - once at his home and on two
occasions at a room he rented from a neighbour where he ran his accounting
practice.
Margaret didn't like him and I can well understand why. The old
Morrie that I had known years ago had all but gone and he actually told me that
he had been invited to accept a directorship on the board of the new casino. As
far as I was concerned, he had buckled at the knees. I might add that the
invitation came to nothing.
I got nowhere with him when I raised the subject of all the
trouble in Pakistan and he denied any knowledge of it. I pointed out that I
believed it was the result of the research I had done with him into the Hamer
allegations, but once again my protests were rejected and he simply said he
couldn't help.
I have attached the full text of Williams’ speech during the
grievance debates on the 03rd of June. Because it was a long speech in
which Williams covered various matters relating to organized crime, I have
spread it over five pages.
The links to the speech are:
Grievance debate 03 June 82 PAGE 684
Grievance debate 03 June 82 PAGE 685
Grievance debate 03 June 82 PAGE 686
Grievance debate 03 Jun3 82 PAGE 687
Grievance debate 03 June 82 PAGE 688
[EDITORIAL NOTE: IT IS NOT ALWAYS EASY TO FIND ONE’S WAY
THROUGH HANSARD. AS SUCH I HAVE PROVIDED A LINK TO THE RELEVANT PAGE ON THE
VICTORIAN PARLIAMENTARY WEBSITE WHICH READERS CAN FOLLOW IF THEY WISH TO READ
HANSARD FOR THEMSELVES. IT IS PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA - HANSARD.
THE VICTORIAN PARLIAMENT DESCRIBES ALL THOSE VOLUMES FROM
1856 TO 1999 AS HISTORICAL HANSARD. VOLUMES 1999 ONWARD ARE DESCRIBED
SIMPLY AS HANSARD.]
CONTINUED IN THE SUKKUR RAIL DISASTER PAKISTAN 1990 - PART 2
PUBLISHED 07 FEB 26
WEBCOPY 07 FEB 26 - 1ST
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WEBCOPY 15 FEB 26 EDITED (USING PHONE - VERY UNSUCCESSFUL)
WEBCOPY 17 FEB 26 (REFORMATTED TEXT TO SENTENCE CASE FOLLOWING DISCHARGE FROM
HOSPITAL ON 16 FEB 26)
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WEBCOPY 15 MAR 26 RESTORED
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WEBCOPY 20 MAR 26 W-C
WEBCOPY 30 MAR 26 CORRECTIONS: W-C 1ST
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WEBCOPY 01 APR 26 W-C 1ST
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