The public servant at the centre of one of WA's biggest public sector corruption scandals remains behind bars because he has been unable to find somebody to post the $1.5 million surety he needs to be released on bail.
Paul Whyte appeared in the Perth Magistrates Court today via videolink from Hakea Prison, where he has been held since being handed more than 500 new corruption charges.
It is alleged Mr Whyte, and his associate Jacob Anthonisz, swindled $22 million over 11 years from the Department of Communities through a fake invoice scheme and spent the money on themselves.
Over that period, Mr Whyte was the assistant director general with the department, before being sacked last month.
Today's hearing centred around police getting access to documents, including a lengthy note Mr Whyte wrote to his former lawyer before he tried to take his own life at his family's Mosman Park home three days after he was first charged.
Friday's court hearing was told the "detailed" note included admissions by Mr Whyte.
There was concern the material may be covered by legal professional privilege because it was a communication between a client and his former legal representative.
But Mr Whyte's lawyer, Michael Tudori, said privilege was not being claimed and the material could be made available to investigators.
Lawyer disputes $22 million fraud
Outside the court Mr Tudori said there may be an application to the court for the surety to be split so two people could sign the necessary documentation, instead of just one.
Mr Tudori also said Mr Whyte still planned to plead guilty to most of the charges against him.
"There is no dispute that some of the monies were misappropriated, it's now working through the quantum," he said.
"I don't believe it's as much as $22 million but we have to go through that."
Mr Anthonisz also appeared in court today to face hundreds of new corruption charges.
His original bail was a personal undertaking of $75,000 with a $100,000 surety, but today it was significantly increased to a personal undertaking of $1.5 million with a surety of $1 million split between two people.
Both men are due back in court in February next year.
