Former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale has been charged with extortion and two other charges, a fortnight after he resigned citing ill health amid a Crime and Corruption Commission investigation.
Pisasale, 65, one of Australia’s most electorally successful mayors until he announced his resignation from a hospital, was arrested by Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) officers in Ipswich on Tuesday.
He was taken into custody at the Brisbane watchhouse and charged with one count of extortion and two other charges, the CCC said in a statement.
Glen Cranny, a criminal defence lawyer acting for Pisasale, said he was unable to offer immediate comment when contacted by the Guardian following the arrest.
Pisasale, a longtime multiple sclerosis sufferer, checked into an Ipswich hospital on 5 June, fronting a media conference in a gown and slippers the next day to announce his decision to quit.
He made no mention of a CCC investigation, including raids on Ipswich council premises and his home the day before, that was apparently related to the seizure of $50,000 in cash by the Australian federal police in Melbourne in April.
Pisasale was about to board a plane back to Brisbane with the $50,000 in a suitcase when it was seized by police as suspected proceeds of crime.
A barrister and friend of Pisasale, Sam Di Carlo, subsequently came out in defence of Pisasale, saying he had asked the then mayor to transport the cash for a client as part of a legal settlement.
Pisasale served as 13 years as Ipswich mayor, winning the 2016 council election with 83% of the vote.
