Arrest warrant for debt-hit restaurateur Matthew Trim for not attending court

CREDITORS are chasing restaurateur Matthew Trim for unpaid debts and superannuation and a warrant has been issued for his arrest for not attending court.

CREDITORS are chasing restaurateur Matthew Trim for unpaid debts and superannuation and a warrant has been issued for his arrest for not attending court.

Vinosity Fine Wines managing director Wes Gilson said he had tried for more than a year to recoup a debt of more than $12,000 from Mr Trim.

Mr Gilson has taken Mr Trim to the Magistrates Court in a bid to have an outstanding debt of just more than $4000 repaid.

Mr Trim’s failure to attend a recent court appearance earlier this month led to a warrant being issued for his arrest.

His lawyer, John Tucker, said the warrant was a minor matter and Mr Trim was up to date with his payment plan to Vinosity.

“The first point about him having a summons he doesn’t know about, but he does know that there’s one creditor that was pursuing him and he has a payment arrangement which he’s up to date with,’’ Mr Tucker said.

“We’ll have to find out about that and have an application to have that set aside.’’

Meanwhile, former employees of Mr Trim have contacted The Advertiser saying they are chasing him for unpaid superannuation.

The Advertiser has been shown Australian Taxation Office documents indicating Mr Trim’s company, Parade Hospitality Pty Ltd, does owe a superannuation debt.

Mr Tucker said there was also a payment plan in place with the Australian Taxation Office.

He added Mr Trim believed the source was a disgruntled employee who had been fired for illegal conduct.

Mr Trim, who last year was summoned to the Federal Court to be examined over his financial affairs, shut his Norwood Parade restaurant Grace The Establishment recently to carry out refurbishments. Staff have told The Advertiser they were given just three days’ notice that they were going to be out of work.

Mr Trim’s lawyer said that was true of casual staff but permanent staff were kept on and paid. The restaurant reopened last week.

Members of the Trim family were examined in Federal Court last year by Matthew’s father Russell’s trustee in bankruptcy, which is trying to track the movement of money and assets during and after the failure of Adelaide retailer Trims, which owed $3.2 million to creditors and a further $580,000 to staff.

During the examination, Russell Trim admitted backdating the sale of his $1.9 million Toorak Gardens house to one day before he was made bankrupt.

It is understood that Russell Trim’s bankruptcy trustee intends to pursue Matthew, his wife Olivia and mother Elizabeth through the courts.

Mr Trim’s trustees in bankruptcy were trying to make the case that Mr Trim propped up his son Matthew’s ailing restaurant ventures, while failing to pay creditors of the Trims retail business.

Mr Trim is also a director of companies Mai Tai Pty Ltd, set up in June last year, Avenue Hotel Pty Ltd and Pizza Consultancy Pty Ltd.

One of Mr Trim’s businesses, T. H. Holdings Pty Ltd, was placed in liquidation with debts of $900,000 in mid-2012.