Former RSL NSW President Don Rowe charged with fraud

Former RSL NSW State President Don Rowe has been charged with fraud following an extensive police investigation.

The 70-year-old, who maintained a top position with the organisation for many years, has been accused of misusing his corporate credit card throughout his tenure.

Rowe was arrested and charged at the Armidale Police Station on Wednesday morning at around 9am.

“A former Returned Services League (RSL) NSW State President has been charged with fraud following an investigation by the Financial Crimes Squad,” NSW Police said in a statement.

On Wednesday afternoon RSL NSW spoke out in response to the arrest, claiming they “welcome” the charges placed upon the former president.

In a press conference outside Anzac House, current RSL NSW president James Brown said they’ve taken enormous steps to transform the organisation over the past two years and have strong finance systems in place.

“RSL NSW welcomes the news that Mr. Don Rowe, our former president has been charged by the NSW Police this morning on two counts of fraud,” he told reporters in Sydney.

“RSL NSW has been through a difficult time but our members want to know that the people who brought this organisation to its knees will be held accountable.”

Brown went on to say that RSL NSW is an entirely different organisation than it was back then with professional staff and a strong governance in place.

“We’ve addressed not only the immediate problems that allowed Mr. Rowe to take these actions, but also the culture that allowed him to get away with it for so long,” he explained.

“We’re fully focused – the Board, the members and staff of this organisation – on getting back to our mission of helping veterans and their families in need and making sure we can help many more.

“This arrest, this charge, and court case that will follow will be a painful reminder of what has happened, but we’re very confident that we’re starting to put this experience behind us and make sure it won’t happen again.”

The arrest follows a extensive two year investigation by the Financial Crimes Squad after reports were made of the misappropriation of funds within the NSW RSL.

Throughout the investigation, which was first launched in December 2016, members of Strike Force Whitbread discovered large volumes of documentation that have since undergone forensic accounting analysis.

Read more: Entire NSW RSL council stands down as police investigate

In February 2017, it was reported Rowe had spent $475,000 on his corporate credit card over six years and made $213,000 in cash withdrawals.

According to the ABC, Rowe stepped down in late 2014 telling people it was for health reasons, but has since been claimed it was because he was threatened with a forensic audit.

There were also allegations at the time that several directors of the League’s aged care wing were paid millions of dollars while sitting on the board.

Rowe is set to face Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney for the charges on March 7.

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