Big Aust. firm ‘bug’ target

Press, 29 August 1980, Page 6

Big Aust. firm ‘bug’ target

NZPA Sydney A big Australian mining and engineering company said yesterday that it had discovered electronic listening devices in its offices this week. The firm, White Industries, Ltd, said it believed that the bugs were planted in an attempt to find out the company’s “corporate defence strategy” against a multi-million dollar takeover bid.

The bugs were found on Tuesday in the Sydney offices of two directors of the firm.

Mr Kinghorn, a non-execu-tive director of White Industries, said yesterday that he had taken part in planning corporate strategy against a “major take-over siege” in which “pretty large amounts of moneys were involved.

“Basically, everything we knew and were thinking, and our negotiating attitudes, were all picked up on these devices. It’s a rather alarming feeling.”

Directors of White dustries became suspicious

because of a number of ‘ “specific coincidences” Mr Kinghorn said. The firm decided to have a security firm check offices and the homes of senior company staff.

“Obviously, I’ve got to be very careful what I say about those (the, ‘coincidences’) because that tends to point in certain directions — and I don’t wish to do that; for legal reasons,” he said. ‘

He added: “I thought , this - sort of thing only happened 1 on American TV.” • 1 Asked what sort of action was open to the company, Mr Kinghorn replied: “Well, ; basically, none. Police are .> investigating it, but the odds against tracking down who put it there and who paid that person to put it there — the odds of ascertaining . .(hat are very slim.” ■ . ' private investigator '■ handling the inquiry for - White Industries, . Frank ’ Monte, said that his firm had records of more than 309 discoveries of listening ; devices in Australia in the last year, more' than half of them in Sydney. ;