Jury fails to reach verdict in Shand corruption case

The 12-member jury deliberated for 10 hours but failed to reach an agreement to declare Shand guilty or not of the charges against him.

The jury failed to reach a verdict even after Judge Milton Griffin ordered them to make a decision after long hours of deliberation.

To recall, the 58-year-old Shand, a lawyer and former coal mining executive, pleaded not guilty to the charge of giving Nuttall $60,000 in secret commission in  April 2002, when the government officials was then industrial relations minister in the Beattie Labor administration.

A mention has been set down for next Friday in the Brisbane District Court, when dates for a retrial are expected to be discussed.

Government prosecutors accuse Shand of giving Nutall the payoff with the aim of "encouraging" the official to use the influence of his position to advance the business interest of Shand particularly in the dealings of Capregin.

At that time, Shand was chief financial controller and one of the four shareholders of Capreqin, which has interests in mining.

Shand testified before the court that the money was given to Nuttall voluntarily and not on the request of the government official. He also said that he authorized the payment of the $60,000 based on the request made by his business associate Jim Gorman.

The court heard Shand claimed Mr Nuttall never asked him directly for money, and that he authorised the $60,000 payment at the request of business associate Jim Gorman.