Former Melton Mayor Justin Mammarella has been sentenced to community service following a corruption investigation relating to allegations of branch stacking in the Victorian ALP.

In 2018, Justin Mammarella and his father Umberto ‘Robert’ Mammarella conspired to give false evidence to IBAC regarding the mail-out of letters from within the electorate office of a former MP.

At the time Justin Mammarella, who served as mayor between 2007 and 2012, was Labor’s candidate for the state seat of Melton.

Judge Rosemary Carlin last week sentenced Mammarella to a three-year Community Correction order with 375 hours of community work after he pleaded guilty in the Melbourne County Court to perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

He also admitted possessing an imitation firearm without a proper permit.

Robert Mammarella, a former electorate officer, was sentenced to a community correction order and fined $12,000.

The IBAC investigation focused on allegations of fraudulent practices within the Cairnlea office of former Victorian MP Kahlil Eideh.

It was alleged that taxpayer funded resources were used to help Justin Mammarella’s ALP preselection campaign for the 2018 state election via branch stacking.

 On July 20 IBAC tabled a special report following a joint investigation with the Victorian Ombudsman into allegations of serious corrupt conduct involving Victorian public officers which found widespread misuse of public resources for political purposes.