Christopher Charles Skase (September 18, 1948 - August 5, 2001) was a noted Australian businessman who later became one of his country's most wanted fugitives, after his business empire crashed spectacularly and he fled to Majorca in Spain. Skase was born into a wealthy Melbourne family, and was educated at Malvern and Caulfield Grammar Schools. He began his career as a stockbroker, but soon became a finance journalist instead, working at The Sun News-Pictorial. In 1975, he changed careers again, purchasing a small Tasmanian company by the name of Qintex. September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... August 5 is the 217th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (218th in leap years), with 148 days remaining. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Majorca (Mallorca in Catalan and Spanish, sometimes also encountered in English),: from Latin insula maior, later Maiorica, (major island) is one of the Balearic Islands (Catalan: Illes Balears, Spanish: Islas Baleares), which are located in the Mediterranean Sea and are a part of Spain. ... Melbournes Yarra River is a popular area for walking, jogging, cycling, rowing and for relaxing on the banks with a picnic Melbourne (pronounced either or [1]) is the second most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 3. ... Caulfield Grammar School is a coeducational independent school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... The Sun News-Pictorial, commonly known as The Sun, was a morning daily tabloid newspaper in Melbourne established in 1922 and closed in 1990. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Emblems: Flora - Tasmanian Blue Gum; Mineral - Crocoite Motto: Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Slogan or Nickname: The Apple Isle; Holiday Isle Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Government Const. ... Producers of Kids Incorporated from 1988-1990. ...

Skase slowly developed Qintex, and over several years, turned it into one of Australia's larger corporations. By the late 1980s, the Qintex group was worth AU$1.5 billion, and Skase owned five resorts, the Seven Network television station, and the Brisbane Bears AFL club. His two resorts in Port Douglas were among the largest in the country, and Skase played a key role in putting the formerly small town on the international tourist map. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... ISO 4217 Code AUD User(s) Australia, Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island Inflation 4% (Australia only) Source Reserve Bank of Australia, June 2006 Subunit 1/100 cent Symbol $ or AUD Coins 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c , $1, $2 Banknotes $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 Central... The Seven Network is an Australian television network. ... The Brisbane Bears Football Club was the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League. ... The Australian Football League (AFL) is the Australian national competition in the sport of Australian rules football. ... Port Douglas is a coastal resort town approximately 60km drive north of Cairns, Queensland, Australia. ...

Skase became known for his displays of wealth, with a massive fortieth birthday party in 1988, and a company Christmas party that cost $450,000. In one particular incident, he had his private jet fly from Port Douglas to Melbourne to pick up a dress for his wife, Pixie Skase. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

By 1989, things began to go wrong. Interest rates had risen, and an attempt to buy the MGM film studios fell through when Rupert Murdoch forced the price up. Skase was forced to sell half of his resorts to Japanese investors. In the months that followed, it became clear that Skase and the Qintex group had overextended themselves. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... Rupert Murdoch (born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American media mogul. ...

According to a 1998 report by the ABC program Four Corners, Skase had begun obtaining and moving money into foreign bank accounts in July 1989. Despite efforts lasting more than a decade, Max Donnelly, the creditors' trustee, was unable to trace much of the missing money. 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... This is the current Australian Collaboration of the Fortnight! Please help improve it to featured article standard. ... Four Corners is Australias longest-running and most respected investigative journalism/current affairs television program. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

At a meeting in October, Skase began to fall out with the Qintex board. He demanded that the board pay $13.5 million to a private company that he owned. The board refused to ratify the payment, but soon discovered that the payment had already been made. Skase then demanded the board give him a pay rise, and threatened to resign if he did not receive it. The board refused, with several members themselves threatening to resign.

One of the directors reported the incident to the Australian Securities Commission. The creditors moved in, and Qintex collapsed. Skase was forced to sell the Seven Network for a tiny portion of what he had paid for it. In the end, Skase was more than $700 million in debt. He began to parcel up his remaining wealth, including more than $900,000 worth of antiques and furniture. The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) is an independent Australian government body that acts as Australias corporate regulator. ...

He was charged with improperly using his position to obtain management fees, briefly arrested and spent a night in jail. However, he was subsequently released and allowed to regain his passport. On achieving this, he promptly fled to the Spanish island of Majorca, which prompted intense media interest after his discovery there in 1991 by the Sydney Morning Herald[1]. In 1994, the Australian Securities Commission assembled a case against Skase, with the assistance of former Skase associate Lawrence Van der Plaat, and began to chase him in earnest. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ...

Throughout the 1990s, successive Australian governments, in combination with Max Donnelly, attempted to have Skase extradited from Spain, with no success. Skase claimed that he was unable to travel due to a life-threatening lung condition. This was disputed by the Australian government, who released a video filmed by some Australian tourists, which featured Skase walking easily on a local beach. During this period, Skase also attempted to build a new business empire, and continued to live in a multi-million dollar mansion. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

In one incident, television personality Andrew Denton organised a public subscription to hire a bounty hunter to kidnap Skase. However, the idea had to be called off when it became apparent it would compromise any trial. Andrew Denton (video tape cover) Andrew Christopher Denton (born May 4, 1960) is an Australian comedian and television presenter, and is the host of the ABCs weekly interview program Enough Rope. ...

In May, 1998, the Australian government cancelled Skase's passport. Skase was ordered to leave Majorca by 23 July, but lodged an appeal. The extradition process was still tied up in the courts when, the following month, he became a citizen of Dominica. At this point, numerous commentators suggested that the chase was over, and that there was nothing more that could be done to bring Skase back to Australia. 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining. ...

By 2001, both the Australian government and Donnelly were starting to grow weary of the large costs of continuing the "chase for Skase". However, there was renewed speculation in January 2002 that Skase may be deported from Spain - in which case he may have been able to be brought back to Australia, due to Dominica's extradition treaty. However, he became ill and died of stomach cancer [2] in Majorca on August 5, before any further proceedings had taken place.Most people believe he faked his own death...and is now still living with a new face, curtisy of plastic surgery.. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Stomach cancer (also called gastric cancer) can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs, particularly the esophagus, small intestine. ... August 5 is the 217th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (218th in leap years), with 148 days remaining. ...

A satirical 2001 film, Let's Get Skase is based on an invented plot to kidnap Christopher Skase in Majorca. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Lets Get Skase is a 2001 Australian comedy starring Lachy Hulme, Alex Dimitriades, Craig McLachlan and Bill Kerr. ...

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