CONSUMER AFFAIRS:
Queensland Police and investigators from the state’s consumer watchdog say they wish to speak to The Bug’s investment advice columnist Morrie Bezzle (below) in relation to complaints about a TV series which lists him as its executive producer.
A police spokesperson said a prospectus for potential investors in the six-part series titled An Evening With Parky was touted as “an entertaining and provocative series in which famous celebrities reveal all about themselves when grilled in the famous Parkinson interviewing style”.
“We understand several investors sunk several million dollars into the series based on the representations made by Mr Bezzle in his prospectus,” the spokesperson said. “However, the prospectus did not reflect the reality of the proposed program.”
An investigator with Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said investors claimed they had been led to believe that the proposed TV series featured famous British journalist and celebrity interviewer Michael Parkinson who died this week.
“However, it turns out that the host of the interview series was to be Martin Parkinson, the former head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and now company director and Chancellor of Macquarie University,” the investigator said.
“A pilot episode of the proposed series was recorded featuring Parkinson – Martin, not Michael – interviewing outgoing Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Philip Lowe. (main picture)
“A team of our crack investigators spent most of a day locked in a room watching it for any clues, although I must admit that for most of that time they were fast asleep.
“Nevertheless, we do wish to locate and talk to an individual, namely Morrison Edison Ponzi Phar Lap Bezzle, who may be able to help us with our inquiries.”
When contacted, Mr Bezzle rejected suggestions he had misled investors or had provided them with allegedly misleading advice or information.
“That’s total frogshit peddled by do-nothing pen pushers who spend their days trying to stifle creativity and the entrepreneurial spirit that’s made our nation what it is today,” he said.
“I gave every single person who expressed interest in the project the same upfront and honest verbal advice.
“I repeatedly told them Parky was signed up to do the interviews, and that Be Be Sea Productions – a shelf company of mine, which they didn’t really need to know about – was right behind it too.
“There’s absolutely nothing that the coppers or the vindictive bastards at the OFT will find to pin anything on me. At least not on paper,” Mr Bezzle said before hanging up.
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