Ankamuthi leader Larry Joe Woosup denies fraud over $200,000 mining payout

In Cairns District Court, Ankamuthi traditional owner Larry Joe Woosup pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud, each involving at least $30,000. Prosecutors allege that after a 2013 royalty deal with Gulf Alumina Limited, Woosup set up trust accounts in the community’s name but, as the sole trustee, drew $110,000 from an overdraft and later withdrew nearly the entire $95,000 cheque from a second account, without keeping required records.

Multiple witnesses, such as traditional owners Tracy Lee Lutwych and Polly Josephine Woosup, as well as accountant Kevin Wone, said they never saw any of the funds. Text messages presented in court suggested Woosup claimed to have given part of the money to fellow traditional owner Beverly Tamwoy, a claim he later denied. The case, presided over by Judge Joshua Treviño KC, is slated for more than six days of testimony.