further stated:"There can be no suggestion that Visy acted in ignorance of its obligations under the act" and further added that the deliberate use of pre-paid mobile phones that could not be traced and the holding of meetings in private homes, motel rooms and suburban parks "...provides a strong indication that Visy was fully aware that the conduct was illegal". After more than a year of denials Pratt subsequently admitted his guilt, acknowledging he and his company, and "rival" company Amcor deliberately broke the law. Pratt was aggrieved by the criminal prosecution and its effect on his reputation, stating: "I feel very angry—Visy is seen as Richard Pratt's company—there is a certain amount of character assassination for me personally because I am a tall poppy in the community; it's a big scalp (for the ACCC). My reputation is something I have been building for 50 years and so I am worried that the general public will now see me as a rich person who has made his money doing something that is wrong in the eyes of the law." On 2 November 2007, Pratt and the Visy group received an $36 million fine, representing both the largest fine in Australian history and an estimated 0.75% of the Pratt fortune. Federal Court of Australia judge Justice Heerey said Pratt and his senior executives were knowingly concerned in the cartel, which involved price fixing and market sharing. "This is the worst cartel to come before the courts in 30-plus years", Justice Heerey said. Additionally, customers of Visy initiated claims against Visy and Amcor, including a $120 million suit by Cadbury Schweppes against Amcor. Criminal prosecution for impropriety On 19 June 2008, Pratt was charged with lying about his knowledge of a price-fixing scandal. Pratt had been facing four separate charges under Section 5 of the Act, the penalty for each charge ranges from a fine of $2,200 to 12 months' jail. On 27 April 2009, this criminal prosecution of Pratt for charges of impropriety (lying to the ACCC during its successful investigation into the Visy/Amcor price fixing scandal) were abandoned on account of his poor health and impending death. However, Commonwealth Prosecutor Mark Dean SC told the Federal Court the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions believed the prosecution would have succeeded. Pratt died the following day. Honours Pratt was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1985, and a