Vic Lib admits 'immeasurable damage'

Damien Mantach says he has done "immeasurable" damage to his family and his daughters after taking $1.5 million from the Victorian Liberal Party.

The former party state director pleaded guilty to 15 charges of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage in the Melbourne County Court on Friday.

The 42-year-old used fake invoices for work that was never done to take $1,558,913 from the party's coffers between May 2010 and January 2015.

"The damage I'm doing to my family, my daughters in particular, is immeasurable," Mantach's lawyer Geoffrey Steward quoted him as saying on Friday.

The court heard Mantach gave full details of his crimes to the Liberal Party and police once his deception was discovered.

"This wasn't the sort of drip-feed response you often get from people charged with longstanding behaviour," Judge Liz Gaynor said.

Chief prosecutor Gavin Silbert QC said Mantach's admissions had saved months of investigation, and he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

Mantach's wife Jodie - who he bought a cafe for with more than $600,000 of the stolen money - left him the day after he admitted the fraud to Liberal Party investigators.

She has kept the family home and their two daughters, who now have a "frosty" relationship with their father.

Judge Gaynor said the psychological report on Mantach showed his marriage had been in strife for some time.

"This was his rather simplistic way of dealing with it," she said.

Mantach used an invoicing deal with Melbourne Mailing to pay $643,000 to himself, while direct invoices to the Liberal Party accounted for $915,500.

He bought $506,000 in shares, spent $81,000 on a car, put $611,000 into Cafe Gusto in Queenscliff, and put $45,000 into his home loan.

The Liberal Party has recovered the share money, but Opposition Leader Matthew Guy confirmed earlier in the week the party would not pursue the family home.

Mantach has been in custody since November 19 and Mr Steward said he didn't apply for bail because he knew he would get a jail sentence.

Mr Steward asked that Judge Gaynor take his remorse, his letters of apology to senior Liberal Party figures, his low chances of reoffending and of getting another job into account in his sentence.

Mantach will be sentenced on June 20.