Former OAMPS MD Robert Porter has had charges against him withdrawn by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. The trial, which commenced in the Melbourne County Court in June, was aborted when the trial judge became ill.

The DPP has advised ASIC that it has reviewed the evidence and decided to withdraw the charges. This effectively concludes the proceedings.

Mr Porter had faced prosecution in relation to share dealings on June 30 1998, in which more than 3 million OAMPS shares were traded at a 40% premium to the trading price just before the ASX closed. The buyer was later discovered to be a principal of Clifford Corporation, who sold some of his personal stake in Clifford to OAMPS on the same date. Mr Porter was removed from the MD’s position in a shareholder coup later that year.