Robert Richter, barrister for Visy boss Richard Pratt has said packaging giant Amcor was part of a conspiracy with consumer watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to prosecute his client, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Richter made the claim during argument in the Federal Court over the release of documents in criminal proceedings against the owner of Amcor’s rival Visy.
Pratt is accused of having misled the ACCC when he denied, at a 2005 hearing, that a price fixing agreement existed between Visy and Amcor.
Richter's conspiracy claim drew strong denials from Amcor. Justice Donnell Ryan said the claim would be given no consideration.
Richter was arguing the defence should have access to some of the 66,000 pages of documents relating to Amcor, however the court heard it would take four lawyers 150 hours to view all the documents.
He rejected a claim by Amcor that the documents had little to do with the defence case.
"We would say (Amcor is) in conspiracy with the ACCC. They would be a co-conspirator,“ the Sydney Morning Herald quotes.
Amcor's barrister Matthew Darke said the company was not part of a conspiracy, “Allegations of that kind are rejected by my client in the strongest possible terms.”
Pratt, 74, the chairman of Visy Industries, faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
Justice Ryan will make a decision on the release of documents at a later date.
