The Australian Securities & Investments Commission announced that criminal charges against Philip James Bart and Ronald George Johnson, the former chair and chief financial officer of Bruck Textile Technologies Pty Ltd, have been discontinued. Both men had been committed to stand trial on one charge each of preventing the recovery of employee entitlements under sections 596AB and 1311 of the Corporations Act. The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions filed a Notice of Discontinuance on 29 August 2025 and announced the discontinuance at a Victorian County Court mention on 1 September 2025, following the Victorian Court of Appeal’s case stated judgment on questions of law in DPP (Cth) v Bart [2025] VSCA 161. ASIC also noted that former Bruck Textile chief executive Geoffrey Thomas Parker previously pleaded guilty to the same offence and was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment with immediate release, and that a suppression order preventing publication of Mr Parker’s guilty plea and sentence was revoked at the 1 September 2025 mention.
Australian Securities & Investments Commission 2025-09-03
Australian Securities & Investments Commission reports discontinuance of charges against former Bruck Textile Technologies chair and CFO
The Australian Securities & Investments Commission announced dropping criminal charges against Philip James Bart and Ronald George Johnson, former Bruck Textile Technologies executives, for hindering employee entitlements recovery. The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions filed a Notice of Discontinuance after a Victorian Court of Appeal judgment. Former CEO Geoffrey Thomas Parker had pleaded guilty to the same offence and received a two-year, six-month sentence with immediate release.