Former CFO faces court over $3m Brisbane surgeon kickback scheme
A former chief financial officer of a travel agency has been accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $2 million in an alleged kickback scheme involving Brisbane surgeons.
Alana Jane Clayton, 39, who was the former finance director of Corporate Travel Management before resigning at the end of last year, appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Prosecutors say he made secret payments to two Brisbane surgeons, Dr Richard William Laherty and Dr Dihan Taranga Aponso, who operated at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
Clayton did not answer reporters’ questions outside court.
He is charged with two counts of fraud against a public service employee and official corruption between 2016 and 2019.
The court is yet to hear how Clayton was linked to the alleged scheme.
Earlier this month, Brisbane neurosurgeon Laherty and spine surgeon Aponso appeared in court following a Crime and Corruption Commission investigation into how medical equipment is used in major hospitals.
The devices were supplied by the MediVance company.
A third man, MediVance executive Elliott Charles Lacaze, also appeared in court last month, accused of fraudulently gaining more than $2.7 million worth of business for himself and two others.
It is alleged that while Laherty was working at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, he received money from MediVance in exchange for the use of surgical equipment in his surgeries. The neurosurgeon was also a part owner of MediVance.
Laherty was also charged with making false statements to an investigator between 2021 and 2022 when the Office of the Health Ombudsman became involved.
He allegedly told the investigator that the payments were for camera equipment he wore while performing surgery in public and private hospitals.
The neurosurgeon has also practiced at Queensland Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery (QNS), Greenslopes Private Hospital and St Vincent Private Hospital on the Northside.
It was alleged that Aponso, who also worked at Brisbane Private Hospital, received money from MediVance in exchange for using the devices while performing surgery between 2017 and 2022.
Clayton was most recently hired as chief financial officer for Australia and New Zealand at global business travel company Corporate Travel Management.
A company spokesman, who said the firm was unaware of the corruption allegations, said Clayton resigned on December 16.
The corruption watchdog said two days later, on December 18, that it had indicted the then-unnamed culprits.
Clayton’s company bio described him as a “highly skilled accounting professional” with a business degree and two decades of experience who joined the travel company in 2023.
“Before entering the travel industry, Alana devoted four years to specialized research and development tax consulting, demonstrating her versatility in navigating complex financial environments,” the website said.
Clayton’s fraud charges relate to allegations that he dishonestly obtained $1,674,971 worth of money for himself, Lacaze and another person between 2017 and 2019, according to court documents.
According to a separate allegation, he dishonestly earned a total of $661,081 for himself, Lacaze and the other person between 2016 and 2019.
His trial was postponed until February 16 to accommodate the hearing of surgeons Laherty and Aponso and MediVance director Lacaze.
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Cloe Read is the Brisbane Times’ crime and courts reporter.Connect with: X or email.
Matt Dennien is a reporter covering state politics and public services for the Brisbane Times. He previously worked for newspapers in Tasmania and Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ. Contact him securely on Signal @mattdennien.15Connect via email.
