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| Tina Battye |
The conduct hearing took place on February 19. The Tribunal's recently announced decision refers to various breaches "in the course of carrying out her professional duties during her prior employment as evidenced by her testimony during the course of proceedings in the District Court of New South Wales".
Battye has had her membership of the CAANZ cancelled for a period of three years and been billed $2,900 towards the costs of the disciplinary proceedings. The relevant conduct took place almost a decade ago when Battye worked for Stuart Ariff Insolvency Administrators.
After securing an indemnity from prosecution from the Director of Public Prosecutions, Battye became in 2011 the star witness for the criminal prosecution case against struck-off liquidator Stuart Karim Ariff.
During the hearing Battye admitted inserting false information into a balance sheet for a family company, HR Cook Investments, to which Ariff had been appointed administrator.
Battye told the court she did so under duress and on Ariff's instructions. She said she regretted staying at the company after realising Ariff was using funds from HR Cook to fund legal expenses pertaining to a separate administration.
''I had worked with Mr Ariff for a number of years and notwithstanding his actions I still felt some loyalty to him and to his staff,'' Battye told the court.
''With the benefit of hindsight I really wish I had left at that stage,'' she said. ''I think I was just enclosed in this bubble and this environment that I guess I just was not thinking clearly at the time.''
Battye has had her membership of the CAANZ cancelled for a period of three years and been billed $2,900 towards the costs of the disciplinary proceedings. The relevant conduct took place almost a decade ago when Battye worked for Stuart Ariff Insolvency Administrators.
After securing an indemnity from prosecution from the Director of Public Prosecutions, Battye became in 2011 the star witness for the criminal prosecution case against struck-off liquidator Stuart Karim Ariff.
During the hearing Battye admitted inserting false information into a balance sheet for a family company, HR Cook Investments, to which Ariff had been appointed administrator.
Battye told the court she did so under duress and on Ariff's instructions. She said she regretted staying at the company after realising Ariff was using funds from HR Cook to fund legal expenses pertaining to a separate administration.
''I had worked with Mr Ariff for a number of years and notwithstanding his actions I still felt some loyalty to him and to his staff,'' Battye told the court.
''With the benefit of hindsight I really wish I had left at that stage,'' she said. ''I think I was just enclosed in this bubble and this environment that I guess I just was not thinking clearly at the time.''