Former winemaker Andrew Garrett is facing court again, charged with falsely claiming high-profile figures owe him money
Disgraced former winemaker Andrew Garrett is facing new criminal charges alleging he lied to a federal body about debts he claims to be owed by the Reserve Bank and a Federal Court judge.
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Bankrupt ex-winemaker and serial litigant Andrew Garrett is facing four criminal offences alleging he falsely claiming to have a security interest in the property of people including the Chief Justice of the Federal Court.
In a case being heard in the Adelaide Magistrates Court, the Australian Financial Security Authority is arguing that on four occasions between May 2016 and 2017, Garrett claimed a security interest over commercial properties, “knowing that the information was false or misleading, contrary to ... the criminal code’’.
Garrett is accused in a summons document of claiming an interest over property held by the Reserve Bank of Australia, Federal Court Chief Justice James Allsop, and another 16 unnamed parties.
“On or about 19 May 2016 ... Andrew Morton Garrett gave information, namely that the Reserve Bank of Australia and another party granted a security interest to the Trustee of the Andrew Garrett Family Trust No.4 over commercial property described as all present and after acquired property ... to the register of the Personal Property Security Register ... knowing that the information was false or misleading, contrary to section 137.1 (1) of the criminal code,’’ the summons reads. “This is a summary offence.’’
Three of the four matters relate to the Andrew Garrett Family Trust No. 4 while another names an entity, supposedly owed money by the RBA and 16 other entities, called the Australian People Future Fund.
The maximum penalty for a breach of the relevant section of the criminal code is imprisonment for 12 months.
Garrett could not be contacted. The matter is yet to be heard in open court.
Garrett was once a successful winemaker, before his group of companies collapsed in the early 2000s with debt of more than $12 million.
He was a household name in the early 2000s thanks to his signature sparking shiraz, but his fortunes came undone through bankruptcy, lawsuits and sex-pest allegations.
He is currently facing a separate case alleging he fleeced $6 million from the taxman.