A veteran filmmaker, Philippe Charluet, has raised concerns about the integrity of SBS's commissioning process. He claims that the documentary 'Australia's Greatest Conman?' bears striking similarities to a project he submitted to SBS on three separate occasions in the late 2000s. Charluet, who has worked in the industry for over 30 years, asserts that the two-part program about John Friedrich, a former head of the National Safety Council of Australia, is eerily similar to his proposed 'John Friedrich: Catch Me If You Can'. This project, which he presented to SBS executives in 2008 and 2009, included a meticulously researched script and potential pre-sales from European networks. However, SBS insists that their project was conceived independently in 2022 and developed in 2024, with no connection to Charluet's submission. The broadcaster claims that their documentary is based on historical research and archival material, and that any similarities are coincidental. Despite the differences in the final products, the SBS documentary covers similar territory, focusing on Friedrich's rise to power through fraud and false ledgers. Charluet highlights the interview with Stelian Moculescu, a key figure in the story, as a potential point of similarity. This controversy raises questions about the treatment of independent producers and the fairness of the commissioning process.
