Add Category
A north Queensland pilot accused of chartering flights for members of the Katter's Australia Party without a certificate to fly commercially told his wife "no one is going to jail ... we say 'alright we've been naughty boys'," a court has heard.
Key points:
- A pilot has appeared in court accused of chartering flights for Katter's Australia Party members without a certificate to fly commercially.
- Josh Hoch has pleaded not guilty to 14 charges in the District Court in Townsville
- The trial will continue next week
Josh Hoch is accused of setting up two companies that chartered flights across north-west Queensland, without the permits necessary to fly commercially.
The 36-year-old pleaded not guilty to 14 charges in the Queensland District Court in Townsville this week, including dishonestly gaining a benefit of more than $30,000 and performing a duty without authorisation between 2011 and 2015.
Personal phone calls intercepted by police during their investigation into Hoch's activities were played in court on Friday.
In one call, Hoch suggested he had earned over $500,000 chartering flights for Katter's Australia Party members.
That amount is understood to be an exaggeration and is not part of the charges against Hoch.
During a phone call to his wife played in court, Hoch was heard saying he thought it was "all over here … at the airport," allegedly in reference to his charter companies Hoch Air Pty Ltd and Flying Fitters Pty Ltd.
In the phone call, Hoch was heard saying he and his wife had lost at least $1 million in setting up the companies.
"It's only money, no one's been run over by a bus, no one is going to jail," Hoch was heard telling his wife in the call.
"We say 'alright we've been naughty boys'.'"
Hoch also suggested in several phone calls that staff working at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in Townsville knew he didn't have the correct licence, but turned a blind eye for "years".
"It's gone too big now," Mr Hoch said during a phone call played to the court.
"There's going to be a lot of people dragged down with us … like people inside CASA who knew we were operating.
"It was common knowledge."
Members of Traeger MP Robbie Katter's office gave evidence before the District Court in Townsville on Thursday, confirming they had engaged Mr Hoch's company for charter flights.
The Katter Party politicians are entitled to charter flight allowances to travel across their large rural electorates.
The trial continues.