CRANSTON TO CELEBRATE WITH BEER
“A BEER with friends” was the first order of business for emotional former deputy taxation commissioner Michael Cranston as he stepped out of Downing Centre Court an innocent man yesterday.
A jury took about two days to find Cranston, 59, not guilty on two charges using his position as a senior Commonwealth public servant to help his son Adam, after a two-week trial.
Outside court Mr Cranston said the charges were the greatest challenge he had ever faced and he never lost faith in his innocence.
“When you know you’re innocent and you know things can go wrong and I’ve never felt like that in my life. I’ve never been so emotional in my life,” Mr Cranston said.
The father-of-three and tax office veteran of 30-plus years was arrested in a sweeping AFP operation in May, 2017.
An Australian Taxation Office spokesperson said yesterday the tax office and the Australian Federal Police accepted the decision of the court. WOULD-BE drug pushers are “on notice” after three people accused of selling and distributing $17 million of drugs were charged in what police believe is the “first and largest penetration of the dark web” in Australia. The trio – Cody Ward, 25, Shanese Koullias, 24, and Patricia Koullias, 20 – were arrested on Thursday following raids on properties on NSW’s south coast and in Sydney.
It came after police intercepted 85 parcels in the post and seized a variety of illegal drugs. The trio faced Nowra Local Court yesterday and are due back in court on February 22 and April 12.