A court has granted permission for former South Australian Liberal leader David Speirs to travel abroad in his first appearance on drug charges.
Mr Speirs, 39, has been embroiled in controversy since leaving the leadership on August 8, saying he had had “just a belly full” of leadership speculation and did not have the energy to keep fighting.
He initially faced two charges of delivering a controlled substance between August 2 and 3 and on August 9, but one charge was dropped and the other was amended.
The former leader is now accused of supplying or administering a drug (not cannabis) to another person between August 1 and 10 in Kingston Park.
In court, his lawyer Dominic Agresta asked for his client’s bail to be varied so he could travel abroad.
Prosecutors agreed that Mr. Speirs’ passport be returned to him, but he must submit his directions to police and post $15,000 bond, with a similar cash bond.
No details were given of his destination in court, but he was ordered to report to police upon his return from abroad and return his passport.
Outside court, Mr Speirs said he would not talk specifically about what happened in court.
David Speirs was in court for the first time since a ‘white powder scandal’ saw him withdraw from the South Australian Liberal Party
The liberal state leader initially claimed that a video circulating of him was a “deepfake.”
“That’s not appropriate,” he said.
“I recognize, however, that this has been a very difficult time for me personally, a very difficult time for friends and family members.”
He thanked the “many hundreds of people in South Australia who have been so supportive and have reached out to see if I am doing well.”
“It really supported me during this time,” he said.
‘I didn’t have to leave parliament. There was no compulsion to do this… I could not exercise my responsibilities as an MP nor manage my mental health and wellbeing through this process.”
Speirs resigned from parliament on October 15, paving the way for a by-election in his southern seat of Adelaide on Saturday.
He said serving Black voters was “the greatest privilege of my life … and I will miss it.”
He said the Liberal candidate, Amanda Wilson, had been subjected to the “brutal Labor Party machine in the same way I have been over the years.”
“The misogynistic campaign, the bullying, the nastiness, but Amanda is above all that and I wish her all the best and I voted for Amanda,” he said.
On September 9, News Corp published a video allegedly showing Speirs snorting a powder.
He declared the images a “deepfake” and promised to clear his name.
Two days later he took medical leave, saying the past few days had been “exceptionally distressing” and that he felt “extremely vulnerable and in danger.”
On October 5, Mr Speirs released a video statement saying he did not believe he could “adequately and effectively serve my local community while addressing this issue, protecting my mental health and supporting my family and friends.” .
“Since allegations of illegal substance use in my home became public, my home has been raided by armed police, I have been arrested and interrogated,” he said.
His case will return to court on March 4.