Charges dismissed: Former Eels manager Jason Irvine walks free from court
Former Parramatta Eels manager Jason Irvine has walked free from a Sydney court after a magistrate dismissed fraud charges against him that were connected to the NRL club's salary cap scandal.
Mr Irvine was charged with dishonestly obtaining property by deception and dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception.
In the Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, magistrate Megan Greenwood dismissed the charges but said she found some of the evidence "deeply troubling".
Mr Irvine was accused of submitting false invoices to landscape management company Green Options and creating a false sponsorship deal worth almost $90,000 to help the Eels dodge the NRL salary cap in 2014-15.
He also was accused of then taking the opportunity to benefit personally by transferring a significant portion of those funds to himself.
The magistrate found Mr Irvine had lied in his interview with NRL investigators including when he said he didn't take anything for himself and that former Eels boss Scott Seward may have.
Seward previously was placed on a good behaviour bond without a conviction for dishonestly obtaining money from the club through false invoices.
Mr Irvine's case related to three Green Options invoices for $40,000, $32,000 and $17,490 out of a total of 14 invoices.
The three invoices referred to "work not completed" and the magistrate referred to evidence given by Green Options managing director Anthony Herman.
Despite how easy it would have been for him to give unequivocal testimony saying either the invoices were false or they were legitimate, he did not do so despite being given multiple opportunities, Ms Greenwood said.
AAP