ORGANIZED
CRIME RESEARCH MELBOURNE: THE
SUKKUR RAIL DISASTER PAKISTAN 1990 - PART 1
THE CROSSHEADS APPEARING IN PART 1 ARE:
1. THE SUKKUR TRAIN CRASH PAKISTAN ON 04 JANUARY
1990
2. PAKISTAN NOMINATES TRUMP FOR NOBEL PEACE
PRIZE
3. TRUMP: THE ENEMY OF ISLAM
4. AT LEAST NINE RECOGNISED TAFSIRS BY RESPECTED
ELDERS
5. AYAH 256 OF SURAH AL-BAQARAH PROCLAIMS
PROFOUND WISDOM
6. ALLAH IS MY WITNESS - THE FIRM HANDHOLD THAT
NEVER BREAKS
7. THREE LEVELS OF BROTHERHOOD IN
ISLAM
8. GENERAL MUHAMMAD ZIA-UL-HAQ - INSHA-ALLAH A
RIGHTEOUS MAN
9. THE MURDER OF HIND RAJAB: A MOST HEINOUS CRIME
10. SUKKUR RAIL CRASH WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT
11. ALLEGATIONS THAT HAMER WAS BEING BLACKMAILED
12. GEORGE FREW REFUSES TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY
13. LIBERAL PARTY MPs CHASTISE WILLIAMS
14. EXTRACT FROM LETTER TO SONIA HORNERY
NSW MLA DATED 03 MAR 2010
15. CASINO SYNDICATE HEADED BY GARRICK GRAY
16. WILLIAMS PERSECUTED BECAUSE OF HAMER
ALLEGATIONS
17. WILLIAMS FED FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT MACKAY'S
MURDER
18. ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ALEXOPOULOS
BROTHERS ON THE 25TH OF MAY 1982
19. PETER PALTOS 'THE BIGGEST RACE FIXER IN THE
COUNTRY'
20. 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.
1 - THE SUKKUR
TRAIN CRASH PAKISTAN ON 04 JANUARY 1990
For years I have suspected 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. Some of 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.)
2 - 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) - Insha-Allah - greatest enemies
for the Nobel Peace Prize.
A man who at the time – June 2025 – is alleged to
have 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 21st 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 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.]
TRUMP: THE
ENEMY OF ISLAM, INSHA-ALLAH - UNLESS
HE REPENTS
AND BEGS FOR FORGIVENESS
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
According to Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Shafi, there are at least nine Tafsirs by the respected elders which are seen as being authoritative,
providing reliable guidance for those who believe, and which were used in the compilation of Ma'ariful Qur'an. Those nine include Tafsir
Al-Tabari. The Wikipedia article about the Tafsir can be read at TAFSIR AT-TABARI WIKIPEDIA .
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 10 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 (rahmatullah 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 TER MS .]
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 there is a second reason.
THREE LEVELS OF BROTHERHOOD IN ISLAM
INSERT TEXT
GENERAL MUHAMMAD ZIA-UL-HAQ - INSHA-ALLAH A RIGHTEOUS MAN
Gone are the days when I lived in Pakistan, when men like General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq ruled.
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
BUT AN ACT OF SABOTAGE AND MURDER
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 IF YOU WANT TO GET STEAMED UP - 1
DAWN 30 MAR 1990 IF 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.]
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. XXX
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.
Click on the link, to continue reading PART 2of ORGANIZED CRIME RESEARCH MELBOURNE: THE SUKKUR RAIL DISASTER PAKISTAN 1990.
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