Late Crime Boss's Son Reveals All

The Age

Monday July 28, 2008

By Kate McClymont

A NSW premier and police commissioner were among those who received thousands of dollars a week from the late crime boss Abe Saffron, his son Alan has confirmed in a soon-to-be released book on his father.

The Liberal premier Sir Robert Askin was not only on Saffron's payroll but was also the recipient of payments via horse races that were fixed as "a courtesy to premier Askin".

In his book Gentle Satan, Saffron's only son Alan, 59, confirms that his father controlled the vice trade, including illegal gambling and prostitution, in every state except Tasmania and the Northern Territory and bribed a host of politicians and police officers to ensure he was protected.

At one stage the American "mob" tried to persuade Saffron to operate a casino is Las Vegas on their behalf, but his father declined, he said.

Mr Saffron details his father's "excellent business relationship and long-standing friendship" with both Askin, the NSW premier, and the police commissioner of the day, Norm Allan, who died in 1977.

Questions were asked about the size of Askin's estate which was almost $2 million, when he died in 1981.

"There have been many accounts of my father's relationship with these two men but none realised the depth of his association and influence," writes Mr Saffron.

"Both were totally corrupt and my father's excellent business brain and complete integrity in his dealings with them allowed him to exploit their greed to its fullest."

Mr Saffron says that he met Askin twice and saw him come to his father's office on at least two occasions. "Norm Allan was a more frequent visitor and he even came to our house in Vaucluse for Sunday lunch."

Mr Saffron details an all- expenses paid trip to America that his father organised for the police commissioner and his companion - "a very attractive, considerably younger, female".

In his early years as premier, Askin would meet Saffron at coffee shops, restaurant and bars and would speak to him regularly on the phone.

Mr Saffron also says that in the later years of Askin's premiership his father became the "bagman" for Sydney's liquor and prostitution rackets, and most of the illegal gambling.

© 2008 The Age

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