Richard White AFP human trafficking probe pressures WiseTech

Australian Federal Police are investigating WiseTech Global executive chairman Richard White after a complaint linked to an alleged relationship with a former employee, AFR Technology reported. The report adds a law-enforcement dimension to a workplace conduct controversy around one of Australia’s largest listed software companies, and puts another governance question in front of its board. White is the company’s co-founder as well as its executive chairman, which makes the allegations unusually sensitive for shareholders.

WiseTech said in a statement cited by ABC News that it “intends to fully cooperate with any investigation”. It also said no charges had been laid against any person and that there were no allegations against WiseTech itself. That leaves the company in an awkward middle ground: acknowledging the reported inquiry without any public AFP timetable or court process to answer.

“So far as it is aware, no charges have been laid against any person and there are no allegations against the company itself”
WiseTech, via ABC News

The AFR said the complaint concerns White’s conduct during an alleged sexual relationship with a former employee, plus allegations that false visa information was used in connection with travel. Those claims remain allegations reported by the AFR and have not been tested in court. In one part of the report, former Kyckr chair Kathy Phelan disputed a role described in a document tied to the complainant. Phelan told the AFR that no arrangement involving the complainant had been discussed at Kyckr, proposed to her or approved by its board. The document dispute is why the story now reaches beyond workplace conduct and into oversight.

Pressure on WiseTech did not start with this AFP report. Human Resources Director earlier reported on a proposed $5 million tax-free payout tied to one complainant, while the AFR had separately reported on settlement negotiations. Each account has added to scrutiny of how the board handled complaints involving the company’s co-founder and largest public figure.

There is also a separate investigation in the background. Reuters and ABC previously reported that WiseTech offices were searched by the AFP and ASIC over alleged share dealings by White. ABC said White sold 2.15 million shares worth about $200 million between 31 December and 28 February. The same report said he held a 36.6% stake in WiseTech, a reminder that the founder’s personal position and the company’s market story are hard to separate. That earlier matter is separate from the complaint reported by the AFR, but it forms part of the governance backdrop investors now have to price.

WiseTech remains a major name in Australian logistics software. The ASX-listed group has spent the past year answering governance questions while still expanding, including through the $3.2 billion acquisition of e2open that the AFR described as its largest deal. Fresh police attention therefore matters beyond the immediate allegations. Enterprise customers, lenders and institutional investors will be watching whether management focus, disclosure practice or the board’s handling of White’s role changes. For enterprise software buyers, governance questions rarely stay inside investor relations if they threaten continuity.

The next signals are likely to be procedural: any further WiseTech disclosure, any AFP update and any move by the board to clarify White’s position while the reported investigation continues.