July 31, 2015
A Queensland grain company has been fined $680,000 and a director will serve six months in jail after being found guilty in the District Court in Brisbane of falsifying export documents.
The court was told on Friday that the Goondiwindi-based Woods Grains Pty Ltd supplied false fumigation certificates for chickpea exports to India between 2007 and 2009.
The certificates claimed 68 consignments, worth about $10 million, had been treated with methyl bromide, as required by India, when in fact they had been treated with a cheaper fumigant, phosphine.
The court was told fumigation certificates has been faked to mislead Commonwealth officials.
Judge Brendan Butler sentenced Woods Grain director and operations manager Thomas Dudley Woods to 18 months’ jail, to be suspended after six months.
Woods faced charges relating to 16 of the 68 shipments.
Judge Butler said he accepted the scheme had been initiated by someone other than Woods but said the director had helped to conceal the crime.
India is one of Australia’s largest export markets for chickpeas.
