Damien Mantach, the former Victorian Liberal Party director accused of embezzling $1.5 million, followed his father Brian into the party's hierarchy.

Brian Mantach is a former Tasmanian Liberal Party state director and his brother Rob was also active in the branch.

By his 20s, Damien Mantach had held various roles, which included working for former federal senator Jocelyn Newman and lower house MP Warwick Smith.

He moved on to work for former Howard government minister Peter Reith.

In 2005, at age 32, Mr Mantach become state director of the Liberal Party in Tasmania. But his directorship was quickly shrouded in controversy when it was revealed he was deeply involved in moves by the Exclusive Brethren religious cult to cover up their attempts to influence the 2006 state election.

Mr Mantach consulted Brethren elders over the "tactics, themes and messages" of a series of anti-Greens hate ads which claimed the party's policies on transgender and intersex people would "destroy families and society".

It later emerged his staff had transmitted the Brethren's text to electronic format, vetted them for compliance with electoral law and sent them to the advertising agency.

The newspapers that ran them also billed Liberal Party accounts at the advertising agency.

Mr Mantach denied involvement for years until a lawsuit by transsexual activist Martine Delaney forced him to come clean in 2009.

It is understood Mr Mantach maintained his connection with the Exclusive Brethren as Victorian secretary, and encouraged them to donate funds in amounts of less than $12,000, which meant they did not need to be publicly disclosed.

Mr Mantach moved to the Victorian branch in 2008 to take up the role of deputy campaign director, despite some concerns raised about discrepancies on his party credit card from his time in Tasmania.

In 2011, he was appointed state director of the Victorian Liberal Party.

But controversy soon followed again when secret taped conversations between Mr Mantach and chief of staff Tony Nutt surfaced.

The pair allegedly offered help to Tristan Weston, who resigned as an adviser to then deputy premier Peter Ryan over a plot to undermine former police chief commissioner Simon Overland.

Mr Mantach was director during the Coalition's massive loss after one term in 2014. He stood down as the party's Victorian state director on March 13 this year.

-The Age