Former Bridges staffer sentenced to jail
A formerback-office manager forBridges Financial Serviceshas been sentenced to two and a half years jail after pleading guilty to 60 counts of dishonestly using his position.
The man, Robert Thomas Lister, was sentenced in the Downing Centre District Court, and has been set a non-parole period of six months.
Lister was found to have dishonestly used his position with the intention of obtaining directly or indirectly for himself an advantage of over $415,000. He admitted to the court that he had used the money for gambling.
The court was told that between September 1999 and June 2002, Lister made journal entries in Bridges’ computer system that allocated money into his own account. He then drew cheques on that amount made payable to himself.
In announcing the successful prosecution, the chairman of theAustralian Securities and Investments Commission(ASIC), David Knott, said ASIC had also permanently banned Lister from acting as a representative of a dealer or investment adviser.
Lister held a proper authority issued by Bridges. ASIC found that Lister was not of good fame and character and that he may not in the future perform honestly, efficiently and fairly the duties of a dealer or investment adviser.
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