Three charged over Australian Islamic College probe

[BB-Leo]

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23931323-2761,00.html

Three charged over Australian Islamic College probe:tongue:

Paul Lampathakis

June 27, 2008 11:30am

POLICE have charged Australian Islamic College founder Abdallah Magar and two other men with fraud related to millions of dollars in Government funding used in the three campuses.

The Major Fraud Squad laid the charges after a long investigation into offences alleged to have occurred in relation to the management of the colleges in Thornlie, Kewdale and Dianella.

The two other men charged are school principals.

Police said this morning that the charges resulted from inquiries conducted into material seized from search warrants executed by state police, helped by the Federal Department of Education and Workplace Relations Investigations Unit at the three colle
ges on 30 January 2007 and subsequent interviews with witnesses.

In January last year, police raided the three colleges and Mr Magar's office in Booragoon.
Police were investigating allegations that State and Federal government student subsidised funding programs had been defrauded, by inflating school enrolment figures.

The State Government gave the college $4.3 million in per capita grants in 2004-05. The Federal Government provided $13.3 million in 2006 and $11.5 million in 2005.

For legal reasons, comments cannot be published on this matter.

 

[William of the White Hand]

Muslim college to face trial

October 17, 2008 06:21pm

FORMER college director of a Perth Muslim college will face trial after pleading not guilty to the alleged theft of more than $350,000 of government funds.

Former college director pleads not guilty to defrauding govThe former director of a Perth Muslim college will face trial after pleading not guilty to the alleged theft of more than $350,000 of federal government funds.

Zubair Sayed, 32, of Perth, is charged with stealing money assigned for the education of students at the Muslim Ladies College in suburban Kenwick.

The school was closed down in December by the former WA Labor government after a departmental investigation revealed a number of "serious concerns'' about the college's operations.

It was alleged the school could not show it was financially viable, had failed to follow the state's curriculum, and had employed unregistered teachers.

The school was also found to be giving religious instruction for up to 40 per cent of class time, the government said.

Sayed is alleged to have written a bank cheque for $355,934 of federal government funds while the school was overclaiming on its entitlements, and to have sent the money to Pakistan.

The District Court in Perth today continued his bail of $100,000 and remanded him to appear in the same court on October 31 for the setting of a trial date.

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24513314-5017004,00.html