A former senior staffer to National Australia Bank chief executives has told a court she became “dependent” on a Sydney businesswoman who gave her a string of luxury gifts while allegedly defrauding the bank of millions.
Rosemary Rogers, a former NAB employee who rose in the ranks from a teller in 1995 to chief of staff to the chief executive officer from 2009 to 2017, continued giving evidence on Friday in the NSW District Court trial of businesswoman Helen Rosamond.
Helen Rosamond outside the Downing Centre District Court in Sydney on Friday.Credit:Oscar Colman
Rogers has told the court she approved fraudulent and inflated invoices from Rosamond’s event management company, Human Group, which organised conferences and leadership retreats among other events for the bank.
Those invoices allegedly covered Rosamond’s personal expenses, including $228,747 for an interior designer to furnish her Potts Point home, as well as gifts for Rogers. The former NAB staffer has said she received a house deposit, a BMW, a boat, overseas holidays and trips to the luxury Wolgan Valley resort in NSW, among other gifts.
Rogers told the jury on Friday she became “very dependent” on Rosamond and viewed her as a friend and confidant.
Rosemary Rogers has told a court she became “dependent” on Helen Rosamond who gave her a string of luxury gifts while allegedly defrauding the NAB of millions.Credit:Sam Mooy
The jury has previously heard Rogers received a prison sentence in 2020 after pleading guilty to 27 counts of corruptly receiving a benefit from Rosamond and five of obtaining a financial advantage by deception.
Rogers, whose sentence was discounted in light of her early guilty plea and her agreement to give evidence, said on Friday that Rosamond gave her multiple holidays to the Wolgan Valley resort with her family, before or after offsite events with the bank’s leadership team.
“We either went by chopper, which was the way we always did it with the [NAB] executive team, or we drove,” Rogers said.
Judge Robert Sutherland explained to the jury that “this is a luxury resort on the other side of the Blue Mountains … north of Lithgow on the way to Mudgee. I haven’t been there, but I know where it is.”
Rogers added that it was a “five-star, all-inclusive, luxury resort”.
Rosamond, 47, is standing trial on charges relating to her alleged role in defrauding NAB of $15 million. She has pleaded not guilty to 60 counts of giving a corrupt benefit and 32 counts of dishonestly obtaining, or attempting to dishonestly obtain, a financial advantage by deception.
The Crown alleges Rosamond sent falsified and inflated invoices from Human Group to NAB between 2013 and 2017 and paid millions of dollars in kickbacks to Rogers, then working in the office of the chief executive, to ensure they were paid.
The court has previously heard Rogers was authorised to approve payments of up to $20 million.
Rogers said that she and Rosamond, who met through work, had a “great friendship” and it was “a very strong personal connection”.
Among other gifts organised by Rosamond was a trip to Tasmania for the Rogers’ wedding anniversary and a birthday party for Rogers’ father-in-law at the Polperro Winery in Victoria, Rogers told the court.
The trial continues.
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