Payments made by Kewell in spotlight
Star cash query
SOCCER legend Harry Kewell – who had a $ 3 million contract to be a “brand ambassador” for Jeep for three years – has been accused of making payments to a personal bank account of former car company boss Clyde Campbell.
New court documents also claim Mr Kewell and his wife Sheree Murphy were holidaying with Simone and Clyde Campbell in the Maldives as recently as April this year.
Car giant Fiat Chrysler Automobiles ( FCA) alleges former CEO Clyde Campbell misused more than $ 30 million in corporate funds on deals it claims were “uncommercial”, including providing loan cars to models, sport stars and TV personalities such as Jesinta Campbell, Shane Warne and Matt Preston.
According to an amended Statement of Claim filed to the Federal Court in Victoria yesterday, FCA alleges Mr Kewell made four payments ranging from $ 580 to $ 8467 – which added up to $ 13,975 – between July and December 2013, months after Mr Campbell stepped down from his role as CEO in April 2013.
The revised statement of claim says FCA is “not aware of any business reason why Kewell would deposit funds into Campbell’s personal bank account”.
Sources close to Mr Kewell say the costs were reimbursement expenses incurred by Simone Campbell, a property lawyer, on Mr Kewell’s behalf.
The amended court document also notes that “photographs and comments on Instagram and Twitter by Mrs Campbell, Kewell and others show that Mrs Campbell and Kewell attended Amilla Fushi Resort in the Maldives” in April 2015.
According to the original statement of claim, Kewell’s sponsorship deal with FCA also included $ 2000 per month towards a rental property, assistance with school fees to a maximum value of $ 75,000 per year, and eight return business class airfares between Australia and Europe annually.
According to the statement of claim, the Kewell contract was “irrevocably” extended from January 2016 to December 2018 on a company letter signed by Mr Campbell’s successor, Veronica Johns, “on or about April 2014”.
Mr Campbell left FCA Australia in April 2013 to become an independent distributor of FCA vehicles in New Zealand, but has since sold his share of the business.
The revised court document increased the amount of money FCA “suspects” was used to buy a boat, from $ 412,000 to $ 550,000, based on invoices paid to a thirdparty company called Maxus, which is now run by Mark McCraith., who was FCA Australia’s marketing director from May 2013 and May 2015.
The revised court documents also go into more detail about how much money was paid to a dealership part owned by former Mercedes- Benz executive Ernst Lieb, who was sacked from the Germany car maker in 2011 for misusing corporate funds.
Mr Lieb and Mr Campbell worked together previously at Mercedes- Benz Australia.