Trevor Flugge
Trevor James Flugge | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 February 1947 |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | Aquinas College, Perth[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Farmer; businessman |
Trevor James Flugge(/ˌfluːɡi/FLOO-ghee;born 1 February 1947) is an Australian farmer and businessman. He is best known as a former official of theAustralian Wheat Board(AWB).[2]He joined the board in 1984, was chair of AWB in 1995–2002, and was present at meetings inIraqwhich were linked to theOil-for-Food scandal,and aninquiry by the United Nations.
Background
[edit]Flugge was educated atAquinas College, Perth,[3]and became a farmer in theKatanningarea.
In 1987, he was an unsuccessfulNational Partycandidate for the seat ofO'Connor(againstWilson Tuckey) in theAustralian electionthat year.
Flugge has also served as chair of the Australian Wheat Growers Association, and as a board member of the major diversified companyWesfarmers.
Oil-for-Food scandal and the Cole Inquiry
[edit]Trevor Flugge was chair of AWB until March 2002, when he was voted off the board by the A-class shareholders (wheat growers). He was appointed a consultant to AWB after the vote and travelled toBaghdadlater that same year, with AWB chairmanAndrew Lindberg,to rescue an AWB wheat export deal withSaddam Hussein's regime.
There were later accusations that AWB had paidbribesto secure the export contract. AWB officials agreed to pay$2 million to the Iraqi regime, which would then allow wheat exports to resume. This payment was made by inflating the price of wheat contracts administered by the United NationsOil-for-Food Programme.[4]
Following the2003 invasionand overthrow of the Hussein regime, Flugge was made a senior adviser to the Iraqi agriculture department.[5]
After the bribery became public in 2005, Flugge denied to the UN'sVolker inquirythat he knew about AWB's payments to the Hussein regime. Flugge was also called before an Australian government investigation in 2005, theCole inquiry.When giving evidence to the latter inquiry, Flugge frequently claimed to have no knowledge of matters discussed at meetings he attended, due to hearing loss.
Footnotes
[edit]- ^OWCA - June 2004
- ^Australian Wool Growers AssociationArchived6 February 2007 at theWayback Machine(accessed:13-03-2007)
- ^OWCA,June 2004
- ^The Age - The Odd Stray Shot(accessed:13-03-2007)
- ^Transcript - Alexander Downer InterviewArchived18 February 2007 at theWayback Machine(accessed:13-03-2007)