Wheatley lawyer's trial

The Age

Thursday February 4, 2010

KATE HAGAN

A SYDNEY lawyer hid money in overseas bank accounts so his client, Glenn Wheatley, could avoid paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax, the Supreme Court has heard.Paul John Gregory, 61, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud over allegations he helped Mr Wheatley, formerly manager for singer John Farnham, to avoid paying more than $250,000 in tax in 1994 and 1995.The court heard the tax was owed on Mr Wheatley's cut of Mr Farnham's "Talk of the Town" tour, which ran at a profit of $7.2 million.Gregory has also pleaded not guilty to conspiring to cause a risk of loss to the Commonwealth by concealing $400,000 Mr Wheatley earned promoting a Kostya Tszyu fight in 2003.Gregory is accused of acting together with Mr Wheatley and two men who ran British Channel Islands-based accountancy firm Strachans, Philip Egglishaw and Philip de Figueiredo.Prosecutor Nick Robinson, SC, told the court yesterday Gregory acted as a "conduit" between Mr Wheatley and the Strachans pair. He said Mr Wheatley, who pleaded guilty to fraud in 2007, would give evidence in the trial. The case continues.

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