Australia, insurance, car, home, live, holidays

Helen Rosamond outside the Downing Centre District Court on Tuesday.Credit:Nick Moir

Rosamond,the owner of North Sydney-based event management company Human Group,was found not guilty of two charges.

The 47-year-old had argued she needed to remain free until next Monday,while arrangements could be made about the care of a family member.

After an agreement between the convicted fraudster and her former husband Geoffrey Rosamond was reached early on Tuesday morning,District Court Judge Robert Sutherland said that allowing her to remain free for longer was an “untenable situation”.

“The detention application is granted. Ms Rosamond is to be remanded in custody pending a day for a sentence,” he said.

The judge said it was “beyond reasonable argument” that she would receive a full-time prison sentence in light of the seriousness of the offences. Rosamond bowed to the judge before she was escorted from the courtroom.

In November,a jury found Rosamond guilty of a total of 90 fraud and kickback charges for billing the bank for personal expenses and splashing out millions in corrupt payments to Rosemary Rogers,then chief of staff to NAB chief executives Andrew Thorburn and Cameron Clyne,to ensure her bloated invoices were approved and Human Group’s lucrative contracts with the bank continued.

Rosamond’s invoices covered $228,747for an interior designer to furnish her Potts Point terrace,almost $100,000 in rent,$14,358 on catering for her swanky 40th birthday,$372,611 to landscape her former marital home in Mosman and $86,413 for renovations. Thousands more were spent on a US holiday,artworks,renovations on her catamaran and a car for family members.

The jury also found she improperly retained between $2.4 million and $4.9 million in unused funds from NAB that were supposed to be spent on fulfilling contracts,and attempted to obtain a further $3.3 million by issuing a fraudulent invoice to the bank.

Rogers,who is currently behind bars for participating in the same scheme between 2013 and 2017,received astring of big-ticket gifts totalling $5.6 million,including $1.5 million for a house,a $159,490 European holiday for six people,a $620,000 US holiday for eight including a private jet,a $29,377 holiday to the Saffire Freycinet resort in Tasmania,a $115,000 boat and a $172,000 BMW.

A trusted and long-time bank employee,Rogers was authorised to approve invoices worth up to $20 million.

A sentence hearing has been scheduled for March 6 next year.

AAP,Michaela Whitbourn

License this article