Companies

A former Deloitte director accused of embezzling $3.1 million to fund lavish purchases, including an extensive art collection, has been referred to police and suspended by an association for Australian restructuring professionals.

A judge has approved $32 million in penalties against Westpac in two cases brought by the corporate regulator accusing the bank of misleading thousands of “vulnerable” customers about their debts and failing to manage the accounts of deregistered companies.

Macquarie Leasing has hit back at a class action over alleged unfair flex commission arrangements with car dealers, saying dealers were not required to propose high interest rates as part of the scheme and that customers were not forced to accept them.

Deloitte and Noumi, formerly known as Freedom Foods, have pointed the finger at one another in a consolidated shareholder class action, with the accounting giant saying the food company made misleading representations in its financial reports and should be on the hook for its costs in defending the lawsuit.

A former Deloitte director accused of embezzling $3.1 million has agreed to court orders that he repay the money and hand over title to all assets -- including almost 100 works of art -- purchased with the alleged misappropriated funds.

NAB is facing a human rights suit from a senior employee who alleges she was subject to years of discrimination because of her race, gender and French nationality and bullying, including having a baseball bat brandished at her.

Fair Work Commissioner Nick Wilson has dismissed a recusal bid by nine former Virgin employees who argued his frequent flyer membership with the airline meant he was unable to hear their cases.

A former chief pilot at Virgin Australia has filed a lawsuit claiming the airline sacked him after he made complaints and filed Fair Work Commission proceedings alleging Virgin’s chief executive officer repeatedly bullied and harassed him.

Rail freight operator Aurizon has triumphed in a tax dispute with the ATO, with a court finding that credit for a $4.4 billion loan by the Queensland government made during an initial public offering in 2010 was share capital despite no shares being issued to the state government.

Chaser star Julian Morrow engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct and breached his directorial duties by taking over a joint venture behind the hit ABC consumer affairs program The Checkout while hiding the fact that he was negotiating a seventh season of the series, a court has found.