Victorian Premier Dan Andrews just levelled on of the all-time great public tongue lashings against disgraced Labor politician Adem Somyurek, after the Andrews Government sacked the Upper House MP following an explosive report into massive alleged corruption.
Somyurek was sacked from his Ministerial position this morning, after a joint 60 Minutes and The Age investigation into Somyurek’s alleged brach stacking, which involved secret recordings showing the Labor Party powerbroker withdrawing large stacks of cash from a shopping centre ATM, and handing it off to a Labor staffer to fund falsified Labor Party membership applications.
In a fiery press conference, Premier Andrews ripped Somyurek to shreds, steadfastly trashing the MP’s claims that he voluntarily resigned instead of being sacked, and confirming that not only is Somyurek out of the State Government Ministry, but that Andrews no longer considers him a Labor MP at all.
A furious Andrews stated “Just after 9:00am this morning I met with Adem Somyurek and I informed him that I would be writing to the governor to terminate his commission as a minister to essentially sack him from my ministry. That letter was sent moments later and the governor has accepted that advice and Mr Somyurek is no longer a minister of the Crown. I also informed him that it was my intention to write to the national executive via the national secretary of the Australian Labor Party and seek from them a termination of Mr Somyurek’s membership of the Australian Labor Party.”
“I also want to be very clear with you that I now regard Mr Somyurek as no longer a member of the Victorian Parliamentary Labor Party, no longer a member of my team, my Caucus, my Government,” the Premier said.
The extraordinary public dressing down continued, “What Mr Somyurek said, what Mr Somyurek has done – so his conduct and his comments – are completely deplorable, they are shameful, and it is on that basis that there is no place in my Government for him. There is no place in my team for him.”
BREAKING: VIC Premier Daniel Andrews confirms that Adem Somyurek was sacked, and was not given the opportunity to resign. pic.twitter.com/lul5shr8Zd
— 10 News First Melbourne (@10NewsFirstMelb) June 15, 2020
Andrews then removed any lingering doubt by asserting in no uncertain terms that not only did Somyurek not voluntarily resign, but that he wasn’t even allowed the opportunity to do so.
“I want to be very clear with each and every one of you and through you Victorians, Mr Somyurek was not offered an opportunity to resign. He is not worthy of an opportunity to resign. He was sacked. And that is the fact of the matter. Any statements to the contrary are simply false.”
Andrews confirmed that the allegations against Somyurek have been forwarded to both Victoria Police and IBAC.
