Charges against Mr Philip James Bart and Mr Ronald George Johnson, the former Chair and Chief Financial Officer of Bruck Textile Technologies Pty Ltd (Bruck Textile) respectively, have been discontinued.
Both men had previously been committed to stand trial on one charge each of preventing the recovery of employee entitlements, contrary to sections 596AB and 1311 of the Corporations Act.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth)(CDPP) filed a Notice of Discontinuance on 29 August 2025 and announced the discontinuance at a Victorian County Court mention on 1 September 2025. The decision to discontinue the proceedings follows the Victorian Court of Appeal's case stated judgment on questions of law in relation to the interpretation of the offence legislation, in DPP (Cth) v Bart [2025] VSCA 161 (7 July 2025).
Former Bruck Textile CEO Mr Geoffrey Thomas Parker had also been committed to stand trial on one charge of preventing the recovery of employee entitlements contrary to sections 596AB and 1311 of the Corporations Act. On 3 April 2024, in the Victorian County Court, Mr Parker pleaded guilty to the charge on indictment and was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment, with immediate release.
Background
Further background to this matter is set out at 22-114MR and 23-177MR.
During the same 1 September 2025 mention, a suppression order prohibiting publication of Mr Parker's guilty plea and sentence was revoked.
