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Peter Clarence Foster (born 1962) is an Australian
career criminal A habitual offender, repeat offender, or career criminal is a person convicted of a crime who was previously convicted of crimes. Various state and jurisdictions may have laws targeting habitual offenders, and specifically providing for enhanced o ...
who has been imprisoned in Australia, Britain, the United States, and Vanuatu for a variety of offences related to
weight loss Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the total body mass, by a mean loss of fluid, body fat (adipose tissue), or lean mass (namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other conn ...
and other scams as well as absconding from justice. His convictions range from
fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...
and
money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...
to
contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the cour ...
and resisting arrest.Serial fraudster who keeps bouncing back
, Jeevan Vasagar,
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, 6 December 2002. Retrieved 27 May 2009
Foster was also in the headlines for his role in helping
Cherie Blair Cherie, Lady Blair, (; born 23 September 1954), also known professionally as Cherie Booth, is an English barrister and writer. She is married to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Tony Blair. Early life and education Booth ...
, wife of British prime minister
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
, buy properties in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
at a discounted rate. Foster has described himself as an "international man of mischief".


Early career

Foster began marketing and selling products at 19 years of age. Nicknamed "kid tycoon" and the "milkshake tycoon", Foster was promoting themed nights at a Gold Coast discothèque two years before he was legally allowed in the club and became a boxing promoter at 17. At 20, Foster was fined by an Australian court for attempting to make a fraudulent insurance claim when a boxing match he was promoting fell through. The following year, Foster became a television producer and filmed a documentary with
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
while living several weeks with him in his home in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. He was declared bankrupt after promoting an Ali bout in Australia that did not eventuate and marketing a method for quitting smoking. Foster was also known for his relationship with model
Samantha Fox Samantha Karen Fox (born 15 April 1966) is an English pop singer and former glamour model from East London. She rose to public attention aged 16, when her mother entered her photographs in an amateur modelling contest run by ''The Sunday Peopl ...
, whom he hired to promote his weight loss tea. She later distanced herself from him and remarked: A number of years later, Foster suggested that he and Fox make a film about their lives, but she sent a refusal via her lawyer.


Bai Lin Tea and Chow Low Tea weight loss scams

Muhammad Ali's third wife, model Veronica Ali, introduced him to Bai Lin tea, which Foster went on to market in Australia as an "ancient Chinese diet secret" for weight loss. The company went bankrupt while under investigation by the
Australian Competition & Consumer Commission The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the chief competition regulator of the Government of Australia, located within the Department of the Treasury. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trad ...
(ACCC), whereupon he took the tea to the United Kingdom, hiring Samantha Fox to promote it.The man behind Cherie's 'regret'
,
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
, 14 December 2002. Retrieved 25 May 2009
Under testing, the tea was proven to be ordinary black China tea and Mr Foster's company was fined £5,000 in 1988 for breaching the UK Trade Descriptions Act. However, Foster fled Britain to the United States where he remarketed it as Chow Low Tea. Advertisements in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' and ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' claimed the tea lowered the
cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...
levels of its consumers no matter what they ate. The fraudulent claims saw him convicted for conspiracy to commit
grand theft Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...
and he served four months in a Los Angeles prison. Fraudulently stating that a food product could lower cholesterol was an offence under California law (Sherman Food and Drug Act). In 1994, Foster returned to England and was fined £21,000, with £8,000 costs, in relation to the outstanding Bai Lin Tea fine. In 1996 he was imprisoned over his sales of slimming granules for conspiring to provide a product with a false description. Nine months later he absconded while on day release from open prison and returned to Australia on a false passport. The ACCC charged him with fraudulently marketing Biometrics, a "thigh contour treatment". He was fined $15,000 and compelled to sign an undertaking to desist from making statements about the therapeutic effects of the product. He was then jailed for five months on charges relating to withholding information from the
Australian Securities & Investments Commission The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is an independent commission of the Australian Government tasked as the national corporate regulator. ASIC's role is to regulate company and financial services and enforce laws to pro ...
. Foster was arrested in Australia on a British extradition warrant, but absconded on bail to be rearrested in February 1998. He spent over 18 months in prison in Brisbane fighting extradition, claiming his life would be at risk if he returned because he was an informant against corrupt prison officers. He was returned to Britain and imprisoned in 2000 for a further 33 months at St Albans Crown Court for using fraudulent documents to obtain credit for a company, Foremost Body Corporation, that sold thigh-reduction cream. Having served time on remand, Foster was released, but banned for five years from holding company directorships in the UK. Told by the judge, "the sooner you go from the country the better," Foster returned to Australia, but moved to
Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
where he became involved in politics in 2001, before resurfacing in Britain and Ireland in 2002.


Work as police informant

Foster undertook undercover work for the Australian Federal Police in 1993 and 1997, wearing listening devices in meetings with known criminals as part of investigations into the trafficking of illicit drugs. Foster said in an interview that he was influenced to take part by the effect his sister's longstanding drug addiction had on his family, and that he had always been against drugs.Enough Rope 4 June 2007 – Inside The Criminal Mind
, transcript,
ABC1 ABC TV, formerly known as ABC1, is an Australian national public television network. It is owned and operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is the flagship ABC Television network. The headquarters of the ABC TV channel an ...
In a comment on Foster, criminologist Rick Sarre said that confidence tricksters will often assist police so they can use it as a bargaining chip if they are caught for an offence.


Fiji 2000–2001

In 2001, in the wake of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état, Foster invested over F$1 million in the
New Labour Unity Party The New Labour Unity Party was a Fijian political party, which broke away from the Fiji Labour Party in May 2001. It was founded by Tupeni Baba, a former Deputy Prime Minister and Labour Party stalwart, who had become dissatisfied with Mahendr ...
, a breakaway group from the
Fiji Labour Party The Fiji Labour Party (FLP; fj, Ilawalawa Cakacaka ni Viti), also known as Fiji Labour, is a political party in Fiji. Most of its support is from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an i ...
(FLP). He became 2001 Fijian general election campaign director for
Tupeni Baba Tupeni Lebaivalu Baba is a Fijian academic and politician, who founded the now-defunct New Labour Unity Party. Most members of this party later merged with several other centrist parties to form the Fiji Democratic Party (now part of the Natio ...
, the former deputy prime minister, whom Foster described as the "
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
of the South Pacific." Describing himself as a "freedom fighter for Fiji", Foster expressed concern there could be another coup if the FLP leader and former prime minister,
Mahendra Chaudhry Mahendra Pal Chaudhry ( hif, महेन्द्र पाल चौधरी; born 9 February 1942) is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party. Following a historic election in which he defeated the long-time former lead ...
, who had been deposed in the 2000 coup, returned to office.
Laisenia Qarase Laisenia Qarase (pronounced ; 4 February 1941 – 21 April 2020) was a Fijian politician. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase ...
and his SDL party won government.


Cherie Blair controversy


2002 Cheriegate scandal and deportation

Foster was investigated by the UK Department of Trade and Industry in 2002 for effectively acting as the managing director of slimming pill business, Renuelle, despite being barred for five years in 2000 from holding company directorships. Former business partners, including ex professional footballer,
Paul Walsh Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
, accused Foster of conning them into investing £150,000 in Renuelle. At the time he was fighting
deportation Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
to Australia to face fraud charges for a separate weight loss scam.Foster partners say: he conned us of £150,000
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
, 15 December 2002. Retrieved 12 August 2009
The controversy involving
Cherie Blair Cherie, Lady Blair, (; born 23 September 1954), also known professionally as Cherie Booth, is an English barrister and writer. She is married to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Tony Blair. Early life and education Booth ...
(sometimes known as " Cheriegate") occurred when it was revealed Foster had assisted the wife of the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, with the purchase of two flats in Bristol at a discount. The transaction came to light after Foster claimed Walsh threatened to expose the link with the Blairs unless he was returned the money he had invested.Cherie Blair conman faces fresh probe
,
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
, 7 December 2002. Retrieved 12 August 2009
Walsh denied the blackmail accusation. When the deal became public knowledge, Cherie Blair tried to distance herself from Foster and released a public statement claiming he was not involved with the purchase. The ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' newspaper provided email evidence to the contrary; in one email between Blair and Foster she described him as "a star" and said, "we are on the same wave length, Peter." Blair made a public apology, blaming her "misfortune" on the pressures of running a family and being a mother. Foster told the media Cherie and Tony Blair at one time agreed to be godparents to the yet-to-be born child of Foster and his partner Carole Caplin, who later miscarried. He also said he celebrated Christmas with the Blair family and was a guest at
10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...
on the night of his 40th birthday, however, Blair declared in her apology she had only met him once, for less than five minutes. Foster later acknowledged that apart from one brief meeting, he had only spoken with her by phone three times and corresponded with her by email. He acknowledged Blair had not attempted to influence his deportation order from the UK. He was also covertly recorded by '' The Sun'' newspaper coaching his mother to speak to the media about a visit to 10 Downing Street on his birthday that never took place. Foster later claimed, on his 2004 ABC TV ''
Enough Rope ''Enough Rope with Andrew Denton'' (often shortened to ''Enough Rope'') is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC1 in Australia. The title of the show came from the phrase " give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves ...
'' appearance, that he believed his partner was pregnant with Tony Blair's child, the product of a long-standing extramarital affair. However, ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' investigated the claims and found them "a catalogue of errors and inconsistencies" and an "elaborate hoax". Carole Caplin said about Foster's claims: "This is just a new way for Peter to get attention. He is just a fantasist and these absurd stories shouldn't be given any credibility." In a press statement during the scandal, Foster also claimed "no one has ever lost money through my enterprises," and asked, "could it be I had to be discredited by the establishment?"Peter Foster's statement in full
,
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
, 16 December 2002
Journalist, Malcolm Brown disputed this, writing that thousands had lost money. Three years before, in 1999, former
Consumer Affairs Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...
Commissioner, Jan Taylor, and Foster's former sales manager, James Small, described how many of Foster's victims were middle income earners who were left financially devastated by his scams. Foster dropped his plans to fight the deportation order in the weeks following the Blair scandal and moved to Ireland.Cheriegate conman deported
John Breslin,
Irish Examiner The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country. ...
, 29 January 2003. Retrieved 11 August 2009


Complaints to Press Complaints Commission

Following a complaint to the
Press Complaints Commission The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) was a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC closed on Monday 8 September 2014, and was replaced by the Inde ...
, '' The Sun'' newspaper was found guilty of "one of the most serious forms of physical intrusion into privacy" over taped telephone calls involving Foster during the Cheriegate scandal. The press complaints commission condemned the paper for having published transcripts of conversations between him and his mother. The Press Complaints Commission upheld Foster's case that there was no public interest in publishing the transcripts of the conversations, contrary to the argument of the former editor. ''The Sun'' admitted it had behaved "improperly" in covering the Press Complaints Commission findings and publishing the adjudication.Sun wrong on Peter Foster
, Ciar Byrne, ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', 1 July 2003

" target="_blank" class="mw-redirect" title="Press Complaints Commission – Mr Peter Foster">Press Complaints Commission – Mr Peter Foster
. Retrieved 22 January 2010
The Press Complaints Commission rejected another complaint from Foster that articles of 13, 14 and 17 December 2002 were inaccurate. The complaints about these articles were: *That the transcripts were edited to distort the meaning of the conversations. The Commission found that there was no evidence of this. *Foster disputed the paper's claims that he had tried to sell his story to Granada Television, though the Press Complaints Commission concluded that as he had appeared to try to sell the story any inaccuracy about the company he had tried to sell the story to was not significant. *The commission concluded that ''The Sun'' was entitled under the code to express its view that Foster had tried to "ruin" Tony Blair and that the paper had not breached the code when it had claimed on 17 December that Foster had not told the truth in a statement to the press.


2003 Ireland deportation

Foster had also spent time living with his mother in
Malahide Malahide ( ; ) is an affluent coastal settlement in Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland, situated north of Dublin city. It has a village centre surrounded by suburban housing estates, with a population of over 17,000. Malahide Castle dates from th ...
, north of
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, in the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
in 2002, selling slimming pills called TRIMit through a company called Bellethos and asking investors to buy franchise rights for €200,000. The
Criminal Assets Bureau The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) ( ga, An Biúró um Shócmhainní Coiriúla) is a law enforcement agency in Ireland. The CAB was established with powers to focus on the illegally acquired assets of criminals involved in serious crime. The aims ...
(CAB) began investigating him after Australian authorities started proceedings to freeze his assets over frauds involving slimming pills.Assets bureau examines Peter Foster's accounts
,
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
, 2 February 2003. Retrieved 11 August 2009
The CAB liaised with the Serious Fraud Office to examine bank accounts to see if Foster owned them. Foster was deported from Republic of Ireland to Australia in 2003 because of his 1996 UK conviction for fraud.


Activity in Australia 2003 to 2006


Chaste Corporation and 2005 penalties

On Foster's return from Ireland in 2003, the ACCC moved to freeze his assets and seize his passport over an investigation into the Chaste Corporation and its sale of bogus TRIMit weight loss pills. The company hid Foster's involvement, and its advertising claimed the pills were 700% more effective than their rivals. Foster's business partner, Barrister, Sean Cousins, promoted the pills, kept silent on Foster's involvement in the business and the fact he knew the pills did not work. The scam netted at least $1 million from 70 people who paid up to $42,000 each for the rights to distribute the pills. In September 2005, Foster and Chaste Corporation were fined by the Federal Court for
price fixing Price fixing is an anticompetitive agreement between participants on the same side in a market to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity only at a fixed price, or maintain the market conditions such that the price is maintained at a given ...
as well as misleading and deceptive conduct.Full Federal Court keeps Peter Foster out of weight loss, cosmetic and health industries
,
Australian Competition & Consumer Commission The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the chief competition regulator of the Government of Australia, located within the Department of the Treasury. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trad ...
press release, 13 March 2006. Retrieved 7 August 2009
Foster was also banned for five years from being involved directly or indirectly in any cosmetic, health industry-related or weight-loss business. In 2006, the Federal Court dismissed Foster's appeal against the five-year ban and ordered him to pay the ACCC's court costs. In 2009, Cousins was struck off as a legal practitioner over his role in the scam.


Autobiography

In 2003, ''
The Sun-Herald ''The Sun-Herald'' is an Australian newspaper published in tabloid or compact format on Sundays in Sydney by Nine Publishing. It is the Sunday counterpart of ''The Sydney Morning Herald''. In the 6 months to September 2005, ''The Sun-Herald' ...
'' reported that Foster had sold his memoirs to a British publisher for $1.2 million and that they would be published in eight weeks. As of 2009, the book remained unpublished. Foster announced that he was planning to make a motion picture out of his career provided his original publishers released him from their agreement.Foster Fancies Silver Screen
, Renee Redmond, ''
The Gold Coast Bulletin The ''Gold Coast Bulletin'' is a daily newspaper serving Australia's Gold Coast region. It is published as ''The Gold Coast Bulletin'' on weekdays and the ''Weekend Bulletin'' at weekends. It is owned by News Corp Australia. History The ...
'', 13 May 2009


Complaints to Australian Press Council

In 2003, Foster complained to the
Australian Press Council The Australian Press Council (APC) was established in 1976 and is responsible for promoting high standards of media practice, community access to information of public interest, and freedom of expression through the media. The council is also the ...
about articles that appeared in ''
The Courier-Mail ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, ...
'' on 10, 11 and 12 March.Adjudication No. 1224 (December 2003)
,
Australian Press Council The Australian Press Council (APC) was established in 1976 and is responsible for promoting high standards of media practice, community access to information of public interest, and freedom of expression through the media. The council is also the ...
. Retrieved 13 November 2009
He complained that the articles said he had "fleeced" or "duped" investors. The APC noted that although the ''Courier-Mail'' was "extremely tardy" in its response to complaints from Foster, the paper published a clarification on its letters page on 7 October 2003 and agreed to make a note of the clarification on its online copies. In a second complaint, Foster objected to the same paper referring to him as a "convicted conman" in items published on 4 and 29 July 2003. The Press Council noted that Foster had himself offered evidence of convictions dating back to 1982, resulting in a substantial fine and four separate periods of imprisonment. After complaints to the paper, it published a statement on 6 October 2003 that it had asked its staff to not refer to Foster by that phrase. Foster made a separate complaint about an article in ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' of 22 August 2003 which had referred to him as a "fraudster".Adjudication No. 1223 (December 2003)
,
Australian Press Council The Australian Press Council (APC) was established in 1976 and is responsible for promoting high standards of media practice, community access to information of public interest, and freedom of expression through the media. The council is also the ...
. Retrieved 13 November 2009
He challenged the use of the word using the definition of fraud in the ''
Macquarie Dictionary The ''Macquarie Dictionary'' () is a dictionary of Australian English. It is generally considered by universities and the legal profession to be the authoritative source on Australian English. It also pays considerable attention to New Zealand ...
'', but the Press Council found that the word "fraudster" had been used accurately and dismissed his complaint.


''Enough Rope'' interview

Foster appeared on
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
interview programme ''
Enough Rope ''Enough Rope with Andrew Denton'' (often shortened to ''Enough Rope'') is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC1 in Australia. The title of the show came from the phrase " give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves ...
'' in 2004. A new edit of that interview was broadcast in 2007. On the programme he claimed that he had not committed any offences since 1994. Interviewer, Andrew Denton, however, cited convictions after that date, including for travelling on a false passport, resisting arrest and assaulting police officers. Foster also denied he was a fraudster, claiming, "I've never stolen a cent in my life," and that he does not lie. Denton commented that lying is not a habit for white collar criminals, but a business, and that Foster is "ultimately in the business of selling himself". Foster said he was ashamed of his conman title and "only a fool would enjoy the publicity I get."


Fiji arrest 2006

Late 2005, Foster returned to Fiji, gaining entry to the country and obtaining a work permit using a forged police clearance certificate to conceal his criminal record. He reportedly gained a lease on waterfront property at Champagne Beach, in the
Yasawa Islands The Yasawa Group is an archipelago of about 20 volcanic islands in the Western Division of Fiji, with an approximate total area of . Geography The Yasawa volcanic group consists of six main islands and numerous smaller islets. The archip ...
, and sought investors to develop a resort. Foster had again involved himself in local politics, offering financial support to the ruling SDL party for the successful 2006 re-election. However, he switched his support when the Qarase government was usurped in the Bainimarama
military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
. Foster approached the military and offered to covertly obtain evidence that the Qarase regime had been corrupt. On 2 January 2007, the military released what it said was a secretly obtained video of a restaurant conversation between Foster and Navitalai Naisoro, the electoral strategist of the SDL party. Naisoro told Foster that the 2006 elections were rigged, with cooperation from certain elements of the police.From election to coup in Fiji: the 2006 campaign and its aftermath
p.430, IPS Publications
Several
Cabinet Ministers A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countrie ...
were implicated, but ousted Prime Minister Qarase angrily denied the claims. He suggested that the conversation recorded on video could have been staged, and another official suggested the recording had been "spliced". In October 2006, Fijian police rejected Foster's offer to leave the country if they dropped immigration violation charges over the use of forged documents. After evading arrest for three weeks, Foster stripped to his underpants and jumped into a river to escape police and sustained a head injury from hitting his head on the propeller of a boat. Foster, however, claimed police had assaulted him and went on a hunger strike in hospital demanding the police investigate the brutality of his arrest.Foster to lodge assault claim against police
, Adelaide Now, 27 October 2006
His doctor remarked that the injuries were consistent with having hit his head on the boat, in accord with the police account. Foster pleaded not guilty in Suva Magistrates Court on charges of forgery, uttering forged documents and obtaining a work permit on forged documents and bailed. He was also questioned over obtaining loans from the
Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosraethat are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states comprise a ...
using lease documents from Fiji and impersonating a rival developer to discredit a resort development at Champagne Beach. He allegedly created false websites suggesting the rival resort would be a haven for pedophiles. In December, Foster made a bid to have his bail conditions changed so he could move from house arrest at a
Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...
hotel to his home on
Denarau Island Denarau Island () is a small private resort development on the western side of Viti Levu in the Republic of Fiji. The 2.55 km2 resort is reached via a short causeway over a creek and is located 5 km north west of the town Nadi and 10& ...
, but Fiji's Department of Public Prosecutions applied for him to be remanded in custody. Foster tendered an affidavit by former Australian Federal Police (AFP) officer, Ian Eriksson, that he had worked as an informant for the AFP during the 1990s. Two other affidavits were submitted from former solicitors to convince the court that Foster would not be a flight risk if he were allowed to move to house arrest in his home. A local singer provided a $5000 surety. However, he had checked out of the hotel where he had been ordered to stay as per his bail conditions and failed to appear in court twice. In mobile phone communications with the media, he insisted he was not on the run and was under the protection of Fiji's military Government since he had taped members of the ousted government admitting the last election had been rigged. However, AFP investigations showed that Foster was actually on his way to Vanuatu, deceiving police and the media by using a satellite phone.


Vanuatu arrest 2007

Foster had skipped
bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countries ...
while under house arrest in Fiji and entered
Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
by boat. He was seen wading ashore on 8 January and apprehended by Vanuatu police on 14 January after failing to appear in court in Fiji on fraud charges. He was arrested for
illegal entry Illegal entry is the act of foreign nationals arriving in or crossing the borders into a country in violation of its immigration law. Human smuggling is the practice of aiding people in crossing international borders for financial gain, often i ...
to the country. On arrest, Foster claimed to be ill, but a doctor declared that he was well and fit to appear in court.Foster to face Vanuatu court
ABC News Online. 15 January 2007
He was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment, the sentence was backdated to the date of his arrest and he was fined 120,000 vatu (A$1,400). He was released from jail on 4 February after serving three weeks. Foster reached a deal with the Vanuatu government and was deported to Australia, in spite of being wanted for separate fraud charges in Fiji and Micronesia. He told the media, "I go from one catastrophe to another, I don't know how I do it...I'm going to have to learn eventually, I suppose."


Activity in Australia from 2007


2007 conviction in Australia

Deported from Vanuatu, Foster was charged on arrival in Australia and pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering charges over the forgery of documents to fraudulently gain a $US300,000 loan from the Bank of the Federated States of Micronesia. He had transferred some of the funds illegally into Australian bank accounts.
,
ABC News (Australia) ABC News, or ABC News and Current Affairs, is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Broadcasting within Australia and the rest of the world, the service covers both local and world affairs. The division of ...
, 1 May 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2009
Foster claimed that he had taken out the loan to develop a tourist resort on Yasawa Island, but the court found he had transferred funds from the loan account to pay his girlfriend's rent on her Gold Coast home, repay credit card debts and channel funds into family related businesses. He was released on parole at the start of May 2009 after serving eighteen months of a four-and-a-half-year sentence.


2009 Australian legal actions

In May 2009, Foster began civil proceedings for damages against
Associated Newspapers DMG Media (stylised in lowercase) is an intermediate holding company for Associated Newspapers, Northcliffe Media, Harmsworth Printing, Harmsworth Media and other subsidiaries of Daily Mail and General Trust. It is based at Northcliffe House in ...
and a former lawyer. Both applications were dismissed when the judge found Foster, who was representing himself, had failed to serve either defendant, thus obliging Foster to pay A$10,000 in costs.Conman Peter Foster back in court
, Crystal Ja, Brisbane Times, 12 May 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2009


2011 arrest in Australia

On 18 November 2011, Foster was arrested by Australian Federal Police officers and Australian Competition & Consumer Commission officials in relation to diet spray company SensaSlim Australia for misleading and deceptive conduct in breach of the Trade Practices Act. The
Therapeutic Goods Administration The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is the medicine and therapeutic regulatory agency of the Australian Government. As part of the Department of Health and Aged Care, the TGA regulates the quality, supply and advertising of medicines, pa ...
banned the sale of SensaSlim with effect from 1 December 2011 for advertising breaches. He was released on A$125,000 bail in December 2011. The judge noted that Foster had complied with bail conditions since being released in 2009, was close to his sick mother and that she would benefit from him looking after her. In September 2012 he claimed in court that his only involvement with Sensaslim was to allow a promotional video to be filmed in his house, but denied being involved with production of the DVD. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission claimed that Foster assumed false identities while operating the scam, using the moniker IMOM, or "International Man of Mischief", in a table charting the development of the business and also to denote his own number in his mobile phone. Foster denied creating the table and claimed that the nickname referred to a former business partner. He was charged with
contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the cour ...
for breaching the 2005 Federal Court order banning him from taking part in the weight-loss industry.


2012 legal action

In January 2012, Foster took out a restraining order against a Gold Coast sports betting scheme proprietor, Philip Cropper, under the Peace and Good Behaviour Act. His solicitor asked the magistrate to regard a summons as having been served after having difficulties serving it, but the magistrate urged that further attempts should be made. Foster accused Philip Cropper of attempted blackmail, but withdrew the complaints in June.


2013 contempt of court conviction and disappearance

In 2013 the Federal court of Australia found Foster in contempt of court for his involvement with SensaSlim while still under the court ordered ban obtained against him in 2005.. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment but failed to appear and was sentenced in absentia. Foster claimed he would be provided with a Fiji protection visa if he could get an outstanding arrest warrant lifted. He sent photos of himself holding a Fijian national news broadsheet to a Sydney newspaper to give the impression that he had fled to Fiji. Local police denied they had been asked for help in apprehending him by Australian police. The notion that Foster would return to Fiji where he still had 2006 charges pending over the forgery of documents was greeted with skepticism there. He issued an appeal against the jail sentence for contempt while in hiding. On 14 February 2014, an Interpol Alert was issued for Foster for extradition to Australia to face contempt of court charges. Later it was found Foster had falsely purported to have been in Fiji from the time he absconded until his arrest in October 2014.


2014 arrest and connection with Sports Trading Club

Foster was arrested near
Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a hea ...
in New South Wales on 28 October 2014. He pleaded guilty to assaulting police and resisting arrest during the raid and was extradited to Queensland to serve a minimum of 18 months for the contempt of court conviction. Footage from the arrest showed he was operating sports betting scheme, Sports Trading Club, under the alias Mark Hughes. The company was owned by a Hong Kong company under his niece, Arabella Foster's, name. By late 2014, the Queensland Office of Fair Trading had received almost 400 complaints about Sports Trading Club, which claimed to have made a 1350% profit over eight months. Foster was granted conditional early release six months before the end of his sentence in October 2015. The reasons for the release were redacted from the ruling due to a claim that publication would place Foster at an unspecified risk. Foster's former lawyer and business partner Sean Cousins said of his former client's release that Foster "had mastered the art of escaping jail by becoming a prison informant". In December 2015 it was reported that Foster had forged the signature of a Queensland
Justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
on a sworn affidavit. The lawyer acting for victims became suspicious that the JPs name was misspelt and after tracking down a JP with the same registration number and similar name, provided the court with an attestation that the signature on the affidavit was not that of the JP in question.


2015 police investigation

In December 2015 Australian police began investigating allegations that Foster had tried to hire a hitman to kill private investigator Ken Gamble. Gamble had reportedly discovered proceeds from Fosters' most recent crime. The home of Fosters' mother and a property in Byron Bay had been raided and phones seized, but there were no indications that Foster's mother played a part. Foster had not commented by the end of December and police declined to comment as it was an ongoing investigation.


2016 fine and ban

In May 2016 Foster was fined AU$660,000 and permanently banned from being a company director or having any business in the diet or health industry as a result of his involvement in SensaSlim. SensaSlim was fined a total of AU$3.55m. Fosters' involvement was carefully concealed from investors. He was behind the invention of a non-existent Swiss research institute, Institut de Recherche Intercontinental, which it was falsely claimed was conducting a large worldwide trial into the efficacy of SensaSlim. The court found that SensaSlim directors had concealed Fosters' involvement in the scheme, knowing that his reputation as a conman would put people off SensaSlim. Federal Court Justice David Yates described Foster as "beyond redemption". Justice Yates also said "He preys on the right-mindedness of others to cheat and deceive. In the present case, he lurked behind SensaSlim precisely for that purpose".


2016 racehorse investigation

In December 2016, it was announced that the horse Azkadellia, winner of the 2016 Queen of the Turf would be stripped of A$1.5 million in prize money. The mare had been bought from Ciaron Maher Racing in 2014 for A$280,000 with money from Peter Fosters' failed online betting company Sports Trading Company. The horse was registered in the name of Arabella Racing Pty Ltd, formerly owned by a Hong Kong company controlled by Arabella Foster, niece of Peter. On 31 August 2014, she completed a declaration that Arabella Racing Pty Ltd owned the horse, though there were suspicions that she was providing a front for her uncle. Ownership of Arabella Racing Pty Ltd was transferred to a Canadian, Thomas Sebastian Cain, who in February 2015 completed a transfer-of-ownership form, declaring to racing authorities that he was the new owner of Azkadellia. He did not declare that he was formerly known as Matthew Thomas Reed and has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in 2007 for smuggling
cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
and ecstasy tablets worth A$211 million into Queensland from
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. On 25 August 2015, Cain completed a transfer of ownership to Ben Connolly, who bought the horse for A$60,000. Private investigator Ken Gamble described the sale as a "deliberate and covert attempt to deceive Racing Victoria and to conceal Foster's beneficial interest in the racehorse". After Gamble met with
Racing Victoria Racing Victoria Limited, as the governing principal racing authority, has responsibilities to develop, encourage, promote and manage the conduct of Thoroughbred horse racing in the State of Victoria, Australia. It assumed this responsibility, from ...
in September 2016, the latter reopened an investigation into the bona fides of Azkadellia, banning the horse from racing until stewards completed their inquiry.


2017 arrest

On 10 February 2017 Foster was arrested on the Gold Coast for "fraud related issues". He was then extradited to New South Wales over his alleged involvement in a 2013 sports betting scam. On 14 February the matter was mentioned, then adjourned, at Waverley Local Court. The charges are connected to his 2014 'Sports Trading Club' arrest. In March he was refused bail on the grounds that he posed an unacceptable flight risk; this was confirmed by the Supreme Court on 27 July 2017.


2018 bankruptcy

In January 2018 Foster was declared bankrupt after failing to pay the ACCC $53,714 in costs.


2018 ordered to testify in murder case

In February 2018 a Brisbane magistrate ordered Foster to testify in the murder case against John Chardon, who was accused of murdering his wife, Novy Chardon. Foster claimed that John Chardon had confessed to shooting Novy in the back because she planned to divorce him. Chardon's lawyer did not fight the order. In May 2018 Foster claimed that John Chardon had confessed to shooting his wife and weighing down her body to dispose of it by allowing the outgoing tide to pull it out into Southport Seaway.


2020 arrest

On 20 August 2020, Foster was arrested in
Port Douglas Port Douglas is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia, approximately 60 km north of Cairns. In the , Port Douglas had a population of 3,504 people. The town's population can often double, however, with the in ...
on alleged links to an international sports trading scam. In May 2021, an arrest warrant was issued for Foster after he failed to attend court at the
Downing Centre The Downing Centre is a major heritage-listed former department store and now courthouse complex in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It features state government courts, including the Local Court, the District Court, and a law library know ...
.Police issue fresh warrant after Peter Foster failed to appear in court
''The Guardian'' 21 May 2021
On 7 December 2021 Foster was again arrested in Victoria.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Peter 1962 births Living people Confidence tricksters Australian fraudsters Australian expatriates in Fiji Australian people imprisoned abroad Prisoners and detainees of Fiji Prisoners and detainees of Vanuatu People from Queensland Australian expatriates in Vanuatu People deported from Ireland People deported from the United Kingdom