All MPs implicated in Labor’s Red Shirt scheme cleared without being interviewed

Sixteen current and former Labor MPs have been exonerated by police, over their involvement in the red shirts scheme.

Electorate staff interviewed as part of the investigation by the fraud squad have also been cleared.

Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton says investigations are continuing around those alleged to have orchestrated the scheme.

“There are two men who we are currently still investigating in regards to that matter, I’m not going to identify who those two men are, because they are still actively under investigation,” D.C Patton said.

“I will say they are not current members of parliament and they were not field organisers.”

D.C Patton said all police requested all 16 MPs be interviewed but all declined, so were not interviewed, meaning all MPs were exonerated without being interviewed.

Neil Mitchell said he found this “outrageous”.

The list of the 16 MPs who were investigated and exonerated by Victoria Police are:

Adam Somyurek
Gayle Tierney
Gavin Jennings
Johan Scheffer
Candy Broad
Joe Helper
John Pandazopoulos
Leigh Tarlamis
Anthony Carbines
Lily D’Ambrosio
Nazih El-Asmar
John Eren
Shaun Leane
Marcia Thomson
Brian Tee
Jenny Mikakos

Former Labor Upper House leader John Lenders was named in the Ombudsman’s report as the architect of the Red Shirts.