President David Adeang flagged for alleged money laundering before $2.5b Albanese government agreement
The AUSTRAC report details $3 million in suspicious transactions involving Adeang, then an MP in Nauru’s parliament, Aingimea, then president of Nauru and now deputy speaker of parliament, as well as Aingimea’s wife and brother.
“These transactions include the movement of funds between personal and business accounts, transactions made on behalf of others, and activities indicative of money laundering and corruption,” says the report read by Shoebridge.
“These suspicious transactions occurred on Nauru over a nine-month period from January to September 2020, totaling over $2 million in loans and over $1 million in total debits.”
At the center of many of the suspicious transactions is a company called LRC Car Rental and Construction, which is linked to Aingimea’s wife, Ingrid Aingimea.
This imprint had previously reported that LRC Vehicle Hire and Construction had been subcontracted by Canstruct, an Australian firm that is one of Homeland’s leading contractors maintaining offshore detention on Nauru.
Canstruct said it was aware of Home Affairs’ use of the company at the time of reporting in 2023 and rejected any implication that LRC was “nothing more than a company providing legitimate services and being paid accordingly and appropriately”.
The AUSTRAC report says one of the previous suspicious circumstances reports in September 2020 found that “the rapid movement of David Adeang’s funds in large volume and value raises suspicion of corruption and money laundering.”
“Adeang received funding from 1402 LRC Car Rentals and Construction, the company associated with the President’s wife. [Ingrid] Aingimea,” he says.
Between January and September 2020, 15 Osko payments worth $113,797 were made, including three from LRC Car Rentals and Construction.
Another 462 transactions worth $248,888 were linked to a building and construction reference note. He withdrew money from 140 ATMs, totaling $68,840, and withdrew $700 from a branch.
There was also suspicious activity in the personal and business accounts of then-President Aingimea and his wife.
“[Ingrid] The report states that both Aingimea’s personal and business accounts were booked with regular loans from the Nauruan government.
“These government payments are then transferred to third parties, where the beneficiaries include his wife, L Aingimea.”
Ingrid Aingimea’s business account in the name of LRC Car Centals and Construction received $580,277 from the Nauruan government. He transferred $425,200 of this to his wife.
Ingrid Aingimea received more than $830,000 from the Nauruan government in both her personal and business accounts. She transferred $462,500 to her husband and withdrew more than $144,000 in cash.
The AUSTRAC report was shared with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Australian Federal Police, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Home Affairs, Office of National Intelligence, Australian Security Intelligence Agency and Australian Secret Intelligence Service.
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Shoebridge accused the government of encouraging secrecy and corruption.
“Australia was aware of all these corrupt payments, including from current President Adeang, when the Albanian Workers’ Party government signed a new $2.5 billion secret deal with that government this year,” he said.
“They are still hiding it” [memorandum of understanding] “This is what underpins this deal by hiding their payments and refusing to say where Australian taxpayers’ money is going.”
