Vic: Pixie Skase wins citizenship battle

AAP General News (Australia)
04-08-2005
Vic: Pixie Skase wins citizenship battle

By Mariza Fiamengo

MELBOURNE, April 8 AAP - The widow of fugitive Australian businessman Christopher Skase
has won her bid to renew her Australian citizenship.

The commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) in Melbourne today overturned
a federal government decision not to grant Pixie Skase, whose real name is Jo-Anne Nanette
Skase, Australian citizenship.

The federal government immediately said it would considering launching an appeal.

Mrs Skase returned to Australia last November after fleeing overseas with her husband
in 1991 when his business collapsed with personal debts of $170 million and corporate
debts of $1.7 billion.

She lost her Australian citizenship in mid-1998 when she became a citizen of the Dominican
Republic.

In interviews with the media that year, Mr Skase compared giving up his citizenship
to throwing away a pair of "smelly socks" and his wife vowed she would never return to
Australia.

"I loved Australia and would like to think that one day we would visit, but the attitude
towards us is so tragic I don't think we possibly could (return) ... We will never go
back," Mrs Skase said at the time.

Mrs Skase, 53, applied to have her Australian citizenship reinstated in mid-2002, stating
she did not know that taking out citizenship of another country would affect her Australian
citizenship.

However, Citizenship Minister Gary Hardgrave refused the application last August.

In overturning that decision today, AAT Deputy President Stephanie Forgie said she
was exercising her discretion to allow an Australian to have citizenship of two countries.

Ms Forgie said it was important that Mrs Skase not be punished for the sins of her
husband, "perceived or otherwise", but that her application be judged on its own merit.

She said Mrs Skase's reasons for refusing to return to Australia were out of loyalty
to her husband.

"It is common knowledge that a considerable number of people suffered losses as a result
of the collapse of Qintex and who, unlike Mrs Skase, do feel that Mr Skase was a `goddam
(sic) crook'," she said.

"What is important in this case is that feelings of rancour or distaste for the activities
of her husband or views about the benefits she has gained do not cloud the issues in this
case."

Mrs Skase's solicitor, John Gdanski, said his client was out of the country and had
not been told of the decision. She is understood to be in London with her daughter.

"Her only comment would be that the judicial system got it correct," Mr Gdanski said.

"We have faith in the judicial system once again."

Mr Gdanski would not comment on Mrs Skase's future residency plans, or whether she
planned to return to Australia to live permanently.

Citizenship Minister Peter McGauran said the government was "deeply disturbed and disappointed"

with the tribunal's decision and would consider appealing it.

"If there is any basis in law for appealing we will take it," Mr McGauran said.

Mr Skase died in Spain in 2001, aged 53, after fleeing Australia 10 years earlier.

He refused to return to face charges that he misused $19 million of his company's funds.

AAP mf/cdh/sd

KEYWORD: SKASE NIGHTLEAD (FILE PIX AVAILABLE)

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