Trevor Harris (34) manipulated the council's computer system to log cheques as cancelled, then made them out to himself and cashed them to fund a casino and sports car lifestyle.

The council has also collected a $20,587 payout from a company that tried to sue councillors in a four-year court battle over duplex developments.

The deal with the National Australia Bank was settled at the end of September and councillors were sworn to secrecy because the deal included a confidentiality agreement.

The 12-page monthly finance report that contained the entry was missing from the copies of the agenda available to the public and on the council's website.

Ratepayer Richard Fernandez has waged a campaign for information about the case, resorting to Freedom of Information laws to try to find out how much it had really cost ratepayers.

When Trevor Harris was convicted and sentenced to three years and three months jail, Nedlands council claimed $59,000 from the sale of his home at Karawara near Curtin University.

Mr Fernandez, a former banker, said he nagged the council to pursue the bank for compensation because he claimed it was liable for cashing falsified cheques.

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