Construction figures captured alongside alleged bikie at traffic stop, reading newspaper

Police footage showing a senior staff member from infrastructure giant BMD alongside an alleged bikie gang official at a traffic stop has been tendered to Queensland’s inquiry into the CFMEU and construction sector.

The inquiry was also shown CCTV stills of the same alleged bikie – William Samra, described in 2021 media reporting as the Comancheros’ secretary – meeting with another industry figure – Gary Samuel, the Melbourne-based head of BMD security contractor Host – at a Brisbane cafe last year.

At the cafe, that pair and another person are seen reading a printed copy of The Age’s reporting about two Melbourne bikie-linked figures, who have since been accused by the inquiry of threatening a CFMEU activist on a Brisbane bridge project.

Counsel assisting the inquiry Eddy Gisonda KC has spent this week’s hearings laying out a suspected standover plot that saw Melbourne figures travel to Brisbane and threaten arson and murder, before an attempted cover-up by BMD figures.

BMD human resources and industrial relations manager Steve Thomas returned to the witness stand on Thursday. Like his colleague Robert Pickard, he denied knowledge of the plot and said he could not recall many of the incidents that he was asked about.

Gisonda then played police body-worn footage for the inquiry of Thomas with Samra at a traffic stop in August last year, in which the pair say they had been meeting for work, including security.

The inquiry was later shown news reporting describing Samra as an “alleged Comanchero bikie” and secretary of the outlaw motorcycle gang – links Thomas said he was not aware of at that time.

Thomas said while he was introduced to Samra by Samra’s father Andre in May or April of that year, the pair were meeting for a “social catch-up” when stopped by police. Andre Samra had previously introduced Thomas to the owner of a separate security firm, the inquiry heard.

Thomas disputed William Samra’s comments in the video that the pair had known each other for some time, saying they had mutual friends who played rugby and went to school at Gregory Terrace together – which he told police at the time.

Thomas said he had been nervous during the traffic stop, but denied this was because he had been caught in the car with someone he knew to be allegedly connected to the Comancheros.

“Not at all. It was simply the way I was handled [by police],” Thomas told the inquiry.

He also denied knowing of any connection between William Samra and Samuel.

The inquiry was shown evidence Andre Samra was paid by Host for work on the Albanese and Queensland government-funded $350 million Centenary Bridge upgrade project. Thomas said this work involving logistics and rosters.

Gisonda said there was no suggestion of wrongdoing by Thomas in relation to the traffic stop.

CCTV footage was then shown of William Samra meeting with Samuel and Matthew John Lucas at a coffee shop in Heathwood on Brisbane’s west on June 3 last year, with a copy of The Age from May on the table.

Samuel can be seen pointing to the masthead’s reporting of Victorian government intelligence that firms linked to the underworld had been involved in that state’s Big Build infrastructure pipeline.

The article names Bemir Saracevic and Krstomir Bjelogrlic – two Comanchero-linked figures accused of travelling from Melbourne for the 2024 standover of CFMEU crane operator Cody Raymond, who the inquiry heard Samuel suspected of leaking information to the union.

Australian Workers Union-aligned BMD hired Samuel and his company Host earlier that year to counter the CFMEU’s campaign against the contractor on the bridge project.

Thomas denied knowledge of any connection between Samuel and William Samra or having ever spoken to Samuel about him.

The inquiry continues.

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