South Australian federal Liberal Senator had been found not guilty of stealing $92.92 of fruit and vegetables from a supermarket last year, but guilty of assaulting a store security guard.

During sentencing, Magistrate Kym Boxall used his discretion to take into account that Ms Fisher's assault charge, which involved her lightly pushing Cathryn Groot and attempting to close her car door on her, was "trifling", and dismissed the guilty charge without conviction or further penalty.

Magistrate Kym Boxall this morning told the court he had found Ms Fisher to be a reliable witness and the assault, in the centre's carpark, had been in the context of a panic attack.

Ms Fisher had been attempting to leave when she pushed undercover guard Cathryn Groot, shutting the door on her arm.

Ms Fisher's lawyer, top Adelaide QC Michael Abbott, told the court he would ask for the magistrate not to record a conviction, when the matter returns for sentencing later this morning.

The court heard at an earlier hearing that Ms Fisher was suffering depression, and had rearranged her trolley on the evening she took the fruit but had not intended to steal it.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/mary-jo-fisher-cleared-of-shoplifting-guilty-of-assaulting-guard/story-fn59niix-1226198689434

Former NSW Labor MP Karyn Paluzzano will face court within months on charges of corruption and lying to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Court documents reveal the former Penrith MP will face five charges: misconduct in public office, two charges of obtaining money by false and misleading statement and two of knowingly giving false and misleading evidence.

Legal moves before Ms Paluzzano's hearing began in the Downing Centre Local Court today. During the first mention of the case, Ms Paluzzano's solicitor, Kate Traill, appeared on her behalf.

It is alleged that Ms Paluzzano rorted her staff entitlements, claiming that certain staff members were assisting with her parliamentary duties when they were in fact helping her to campaign in her Penrith office.

It is alleged that she then lied about the rorts to ICAC during a formal interview.

ICAC recommended last July that charges be laid, and the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions has now acted on that recommendation.

The offence of misconduct in public office carries a maximum jail term of seven years.

If found guilty, Ms Paluzzano may also lose her superannuation entitlements.

Under the Parliamentary Contributory Superannuation Amendment, a former MP could be denied their publicly funded pension if they are convicted of an "infamous offence" or an offence that carries a jail term of more than five years.

Ms Paluzzano resigned from Parliament during the term of the former Labor government.

The government lost her seat, Penrith, at a byelection, suffering a 25 per cent swing against it.

The matter will return to court on February 2.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/exlabor-mp-charged-with-corruption-20111121-1npy6.html

For most people, buying a new car is simple: go to a dealer, choose it and pay the money. But when you throw in NSW ALP figure Eddie Obeid, his son Moses, MP Eric Roozendaal, a property developer and his sister, the purchase becomes a Byzantine affair.

It was in mid June, 2007, when Mr Roozendaal, then the roads minister, arrived at an inner-city car dealer's. There was no excited chatter or even small talk as the Labor minister asked for the keys to his new car, a top-of-the-range black Honda CRV.

''I didn't even have a chance to give him instructions for the new car,'' the dealer said. ''He's just jumped in the car and left without a word.''

According to the dealer, who had previously provided cars to the controversial ALP powerbroker Eddie Obeid and members of his family, Mr Obeid's son Moses had told him: ''We are going to get a car for Eric''. Moses Obeid then specified the make, colour and registration details.

Once Mr Roozendaal had taken delivery of the Honda, Moses Obeid organised the $44,000 payment from an account of his friend, the property developer Rocco Triulcio. The car was registered to Nata Re, Mr Triulcio's sister.

Although the car had been paid for, 10 days later Mr Roozendaal put $34,000 into the account of the dealer's agent who had obtained the Honda from Peter Warren Motors.

Moses Obeid instructed the agent to transfer that $34,000 immediately to Mr Triulcio's account and to put the registration in the name of Mr Roozendaal's wife, Amanda.

The effect was that the dealer's ''police book'', which shows all the cars bought and sold, records Nata Re buying the car for $44,000 and then, 10 days later, Mr Roozendaal buying it from her for $34,000.

The dealer is adamant the car was brand new when Mr Roozendaal drove it away and Mr Triulcio's sister Mrs Re told the Herald she had never owned a Honda CRV and had never heard of Eric Roozendaal. Mr Triulcio said he could not remember any payments but he was planning to buy the Honda for his sister but then changed his mind and gave her his old Mercedes.

Mr Roozendaal confirmed that Moses Obeid had organised the purchase for him but said his actions had ''all been completely kosher''. The former treasurer, now a backbencher, showed the Herald his bank details which recorded $34,000 going into the agent's account. ''You can go and talk to Moses and this bloke about why they are doing all this transferring of money between them ... I don't know,'' he said.

Moses Obeid did not return the Herald's call.

His father, Eddie, who retired from Parliament this year, said this was the first he'd heard of the matter and the Herald would have to speak to his son.

''I don't know anything about it and Eric has done me no favours in politics. What is the favour that Eric could do me? There's no favours that Eric can do for me in anything,'' Mr Obeid snapped. ''You write one thing out of place, I tell you what, I will go for you, for the jugular,'' he added.

The car, which the Roozendaals still own, has never been mentioned in his parliamentary pecuniary interest declarations but he was not under any obligation to do so since it was in his wife's name.

Roozendaal car purchase 'completely kosher'