Craig Thomson to fight 149 fraud charges Federal MP Craig Thomson has been granted bail after appearing in court on one charge of fraud. EMBATTLED federal MP Craig Thomson will fight 149 fraud charges after he allegedly rejected an offer late last year to surrender himself to police. The 48-year-old was arrested via a warrant from Victoria Police about 1pm (AEDT) on Thursday at his electorate office at Tuggerah, on the NSW central coast. The former Labor member was taken to Wyong police station, charged, and represented himself during a brief bail application in a magistrate's court that police did not oppose. Outside Wyong Local Court, he made a brief statement and did not take questions even though it went "against the grain" as a politician. "And particularly when every fibre of my being is screaming out to say how wrong this is," Thomson said. I'll be vigorously defending these charges. And as I have said from the start I have done no wrongdoing. Court documents state that the alleged offences occurred between February 2003 and April 2008. The one offence listed in the charge sheet says he used a Mastercard to avoid paying a debt of $330 to Sydney escort service Aboutoun Catering for sexual services in February 2003. He has previously denied allegations he misused union funds to pay for prostitutes, air travel, entertainment and cash withdrawals when he was national secretary of the Health Services Union (HSU). Head of the NSW fraud squad, Detective Superintendent Colin Dyson, and some of his officers were joined by Victorian officers in Thomson's arrest. Thomson told AAP two hours before his arrest that speculation he was facing charges would only result in him being issued a court attendance notice, not an arrest. Thomson's lawyer Chris McArdle said the police version of events was "completely untrue." "If we had been given that invitation (to surrender) we would have done so and we wouldn't have needed this reality TV show that's going on," he said. This is something out of the Roman colosseum; this man's been thrown to the lions. Thomson is still being investigated by NSW police in relation to Strike Force Carnarvon, looking into alleged fraud in the NSW branch of the HSU. "I cannot say whether a decision will be made as to whether he'll be charged," Det Supt Dyson said. That is very much dependent on the strength of the evidence at the end of the day. Mr Thomson has been suspended from the Labor Party and the charges against him are damaging for the federal government, which is ruling with a very slim margin. Prime Minister Julia Gillard declined to comment and denied any suggestion that she knew beforehand that police were going to charge Thomson. "Of course not," she told reporters in Bundaberg. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said he would not comment on matters before the court but the Thomson matter was not just about Craig Thomson. "It's always been about the judgment of the prime minister ... who was running a protection racket for Craig Thomson for months and years," Mr Abbott said. Health Services Union (HSU) President Chris Brown said the union would try to recover up to half-a-million dollars from Thomson if he was found guilty. Among Thomson's strict bail conditions, he is prohibited from contacting anyone from whom he allegedly secured sexual services. His matter will come before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.