Minter Ellison Orders One Raneberger With The Lot, No Thais

Since we broke the news that Minter Ellison’s former CFO Craig Raneberg – wanted by authorities for questioning over the alleged misappropriation of $2.7million in partnership funds – was recently arrested at Sydney airport, a huge amount of new information has emerged.

Firstly, the rumour we reported that Mr Raneberg had returned to Australia for the purpose of renewing his Thai visa has been confirmed. The fugitive returned to Australia via Sydney airport, leaving many at a loss to explain why Mr Raneberg would seek renewal of the Thai visa in Australia, when such could have been achieved in numerous other nearby countries without an Australian extradition treaty. Well, according to The Australian:

Mr Raneberg spent 18 hours in Sydney, during which he renewed his visa, stayed overnight in a hotel and called his father, before using frequent-flyer points to obtain a return ticket to Thailand on Saturday… Representing Mr Raneberg [at the bail hearing following his arrest in Sydney] , duty solicitor Jessie MacGillivray said her client could have renewed his visa in Cambodia — a country that does not have an extradition treaty with Australia — but chose to return to Sydney to “find out what he was wanted for and speak to police”.

It is surprising that Mr Raneberg was apparently so eager to speak with police, when, according to reports, it took his arrest at Sydney Airport, made in the midst of an attempt to flee Australia for a second time, to occasion a meeting between the two.

Yes, according to Senior Constable Stamper, quoted by The Australian at Mr Raneberg’s bail hearing:

“When he was attempting to leave he was stopped by police and detained… A warrant for his extradition [from NSW to SA] was approved on Tuesday and police accompanied Mr Raneberg back to Adelaide on Wednesday night. Some of the 203 counts include major indictable matters for the sums that are outstanding,” she said.

It turns out that police have plenty to talk about with Craig Raneberg, none of which will come as good news for the man in question. As noted above, Mr Raneberg has apparently been charged with 203 counts of fraud, allegedly netting him $2.7million in Minter Ellison partnership dollars. The money was allegedly stolen over a 10 year period, so query how much money the partners themselves were making over the same period so as not to notice the substantial shortfall in personal earnings.

Despite allegations he stole millions, Mr Raneberg is crying poor. His solicitor at the bail application told the Court that Mr Raneberg is virtually impecunious:

“He’s got no money in the bank . . . he’s got the title to his house but it has a mortgage . . . but the property has been frozen by civil action by Minter Ellison.”

We invite your views on where the $2.7million he allegedly stole went. FYI $2.7million buys $85,538,451 Thai Baht, or … 1,220,897 Big Macs according to the Big Mac Index.

But a cell-mate’s Bum Burger is about as close as Mr Raneberg will get to pickles, onions and special sauce any time soon. Yes, following his extradition to SA, Craig Raneberg was denied bail in the Adelaide Magistrates Court for fear he could interfere with investigations or abscond. The 46 year-old appeared in court on 13 October, where he was advised the police are pinning the 203 counts of fraud on him. It is alleged that 196 of the 203 offences relate to stealing amounts of between $1500 and $30,000, while there alleged to have also been seven instances of the theft of between $30,000 and $63,000, attracting more serious charges.

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