A high-profile million-dollar fraud case has wrapped up in Orange, with all charges abruptly dropped by public prosecutors.
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Former-CEO Brian Joseph Locke - of Phoenix Mine Road - had been accused of stealing from the company he was employed to run 133 times, between 2009 and 2017.
The now-74-year-old was alleged to have withdrawn just under $2 million from Gold and Copper Resources Pty Ltd, primarily through a company credit card.
Prosecutors originally claimed Mr Locke used the funds to cover unrelated personal expenses, in transactions ranging between $59 and $107,620.
The case was widely reported in 2021, but all 133 charges were withdrawn at Orange Local Court on August 4, 2022.
No clear explanation for the decision was given publicly by Department of Public Prosecutions solicitor Isabella Wildsmith.
The decision means Locke is not convicted of a crime, and will serve no time behind bars. He is innocent of the allegations previously levelled against him.
Locke was not in court at the time, but his solicitor - appearing via audio-visual link - said he was pleased with the result.
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