A judge has hit out at a “half-baked” legal attempt to stop a $1.55 million Liberal loan to save the political future of its former leader.
The legal challenge came after the Victorian Liberals’ administrative committee decided to lend former leader John Pesutto money to settle his outstanding defamation debt to MP Moira Deeming.
Mr Pesutto was ordered to pay $2.3 million in legal costs to Mrs Deeming after the Federal Court found he defamed her by implying she was associated with neo-Nazis.
He coughed up $315,000 in damages and raised about $750,000 through wealthy backers and a GoFundMe campaign, with the remaining $1.55 million leaving him facing bankruptcy.
