Premium Content
Subscriber only Queensland Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Peter Foster after a string of charges were withdrawn against the conman in New South Wales. The 58-year-old was crash-tackled in a dramatic arrest on a Port Douglas beach in August last year and extradited to New South Wales. He was charged with 16 offences including dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, and one count of knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime with intent to conceal. But this morning at Downing Centre Local Court all 16 charges were dropped and a warrant issued for his arrest in Queensland.
Date Time
Former CEO of van Eyk Research Pty Ltd charged with breaches of directors’ duties
On 18 May 2021, Mr Mark Peter Thomas of Kanimbla, New South Wales, appeared in the Downing Centre Local Court charged with four counts of dishonestly using his position as a director or officer of a company with the intention of gaining an advantage for himself.
ASIC alleges that between 31 January 2014 and 20 February 2014, Mr Thomas:
– as an officer of van Eyk Research Pty Ltd (van Eyk Research) and director of a New Zealand-based subsidiary of van Eyk Research, Blueprint Investment Management Ltd (BIML), facilitated a nearly $5 million investment from BIML (BIML Investment);
Former van Eyk CEO charged Seven years after company’s collapse, former CEO charged with using his position dishonestly in charges carrying up to 20 years jail time.
Crime by Cliona O’Dowd
Premium Content
Subscriber only The former CEO of failed financial services firm van Eyk has been charged with four counts of dishonestly using his position as a director or officer of a company with the intention of gaining an advantage for himself. Fronting court seven years after the company collapsed into administration, Mark Thomas, who was CEO of van Eyk when it folded in 2014, is alleged to have, in February of that year, facilitated a loan from the firm s New Zealand subsidiary, Blueprint Investment Management Limited, and used his positions to conceal the purpose of the investment, knowing that the funds would be loaned to TAA Melbourne to acquire a stake in van Eyk Research.
Mr Foster did not appear in the Downing Centre on Thursday for charges to be dropped. The court was told he had been in his lawyer’s office but disappeared and could not be contacted.