Minister’s plea to Haitana

Press, 30 August 1984, Page 28

Minister’s plea to Haitana

NZPA Brisbane Queensland’s Racing Minister, Russ Hinze, has called on the trainer Hayden Haitana — the man at the centre of the Fine Cotton scandal — to come forward to police. Mr Hinze made his plea in Parliament as the Queensland Opposition urged the setting up of a Royal Commission and claimed a Queensland Turf Club inquiry lacked sufficient powers to solve the Fine Cotton mystery. The inquiry, investigating the alleged substitution of Bold Personality for Fine Cotton, at Eagle Farm on August 18, heard evidence on Monday and was adjourned until Friday morning. Haitana, Fine Cotton’s trainer, was requested to appear before the inquiry on Monday but failed to turn up and is believed to be in hiding in fear of his life. Mr Hinze said Haitana had nothing to fear by giving himself up. “Mr Haitana cannot expect any protection from ‘6O Minutes’ — he can only get it from the police of this state,” he said, referring to the current affairs television programme “60 Minutes,” on which Mr Haitana was interviewed. Brisbane consorting squad detectives went to Sydney on Tuesday to take transcripts from the programme in which Haitana implicated “one of Australia’s biggest

bookmakers” as the man behind the Fine Cotton switch. In the Queensland Parliament, the state Opposition directed off a series of questions at Mr Hinze on the racing scandal. Mr Hinze said the matter was being investigated by stipendiary stewards and it would not be proper for him to comment in detail. He repeated his earlier claim that there was no corruption in Queensland racing. Later, outside Parliament, the Opposition’s racing spokesman, Mr Eric Shaw, said Mr Hinze had adopted an irresponsible and arrogant attitude in his replies in Parliament. “Witnesses have refused to answer some important questions and to date both police and stewards have failed to find and question important witnesses,” Mr Shaw said. Evidence was taken on Monday from a number of key witnesses who refused to answer several questions asked by the four-man stewards panel. Meanwhile, police in New South Wales would not comment on the search for Mr Haitana.

And Coffs Harbour police, would not comment on whether they were guarding Haitana’s jockey brother, Pat, whom Haitana claims was the subject of threats by the organisers of the ring-in.