THE investigation into the former Labor-aligned board of Racing Queensland has widened, with new allegations that a company linked to a veteran turf club official secured work without contracts going to tender and received unauthorised payments.

MICHAEL McKENNA reports in THE AUSTRALIAN that forensic auditors, probing more than $158 million in contracts for the statewide upgrade of tracks and facilities, have slammed the "procurement and contracting procedures" relating to work carried out by the Sunshine Coast-based Blacklaw Civil Contractors.

It is the second company named in the probe, ordered last year by the Newman government, which initially focused on another Sunshine Coast firm, Contour Consulting Engineers, that was appointed to co-ordinate and/or design much of the capital works program through 37 contracts, with just one going to tender.

Blacklaw is understood to have secured more than $10 million in work, including construction of the new track at the Sunshine Coast Turf Club's Corbould Park Racecourse, which it won without the project going to tender.

The company was founded by Tom Blacklaw, who, according to documents, was on the board of the Sunshine Coast Turf Club when the first payments for the new synthetic track at Corbould Park were made to the civil construction company in 2007.

"There was a relationship between Mr Thomas Maxwell Blacklaw and the Sunshine Coast Turf Club," Deloittes said in its audit report, now with the Newman government.

"Mr Blacklaw is a director, secretary and shareholder of Blacklaw Civil Contractors Pty Ltd (Blacklaw) and is also on the Board of the Sunshine Coast Turf Club.

"Blacklaw, amongst other projects undertaken for RQL, constructed the stables and cushion track at the Sunshine Coast Turf Club."

Mr Blacklaw last night disputed the auditor's findings.

He said he had sold the company to a partnership a decade ago.

"I have had nothing to do with the company for years, I had nothing to do with any of the work," he said.

The auditors, who have called for an investigation into Racing Queensland's dealings with Contour, said there were "similar gaps" in the paperwork and contracting procedures relating to Blacklaw.

Blacklaw managing partner Colin Gursanscky said Mr Blacklaw had "nothing to do with the company" and that his company had followed proper record-keeping on its works.

STORY SOURCE: THE AUSTRALIAN - NEWS LIMITED.