Family feud suspected in desecration of late Adelaide property tycoon Con Polites’ grave

THE grave of Con Polites, who was one of South Australia’s wealthiest men, has been desecrated in a macabre attack believed to have been sparked by a family feud. | How Con Polites became Adelaide’s real estate king

Late SA property tycoon Con Polites was famous for smoking cigars.

• How Con Polites became Adelaide’s real estate king

THE grave of Con Polites, who was one of South Australia’s wealthiest men, has been desecrated in a macabre attack believed to have been sparked by a family feud.

A dead cat wrapped in a towel was found inside a pet carrier when police excavated the late Adelaide property tycoon’s 15-year-old Centennial Park burial plot on Tuesday.

In a bizarre twist, Con Polites’ son, George Polites, was also targeted when a package was found outside his Glenelg North home.

The package — a white bowl with a red ribbon and understood to have contained a fresh animal liver, birthday candle and handwritten note — was left in the early hours of Tuesday.

Police confirmed they were investigating a “suspicious package”, which officers deemed posed no threat to the public.

There was also an attack on two cars which was described as an “acid bombing”.

There are several security cameras outside Mr Polites’ home and it is believed they recorded the delivery of the package.

Police have excavated the grave of Con Polites. Pic: Bianca De Marchi

It is understood that a family feud sparked both incidents. The Polites Group applied for an intervention order against a relative in September last year.

Lawyer Dimitrios Georgiadis, who represents the Polites Group, George Polites and the late Con Polites, told The Advertiser the company was “disturbed” by the series of events.

“It’s a family matter involving the grave of the late Con Polites,” he said.

Mr Georgiadis said he was unable to comment further while a police investigation was underway.

It is unknown exactly when the dead cat was buried at the grave, which was forensically examined by crime scene investigators, but it is believed to have been recent.

Con Polites amassed a vast real estate portfolio across Adelaide and several CBD buildings still carry the Polites name.

In 1996, Con Polites organised the drilling of holes in a Somerton Park warehouse to determine whether the three missing Beaumont children were buried there.

George Polites took over his father’s empire when Con Polites died in 2001.

George Polites’ Patawalonga Frontage home was peppered with up to 10 bullets from a handgun in a drive-by shooting in December, 2011.

At the time, George Polites said he believed the incident was a case of mistaken identity.

“I have no idea, no idea ... it’s probably mistaken identity,” he said.

A man at the house, which has high levels of security including several cameras, declined to comment last night.

Centennial Park chief executive Janet Miller said they were advised by police on Tuesday morning that they would check Mr Polites’ plot.

“It’s really a matter between the family and police,” she said.

Ms Miller said the cemetery had security, including patrols and cameras, but nothing untoward had been noted.

She said police were yet to ask for security camera footage from the cemetery.

“It’s a public park … there is pedestrian access at all times,” she said.

“It’s sometimes very hard to tell if someone is attending to a grave or doing something more sinister. They were able to put it in and put everything back.

“Our groundsmen and our staff had not noticed a disturbance.”

Ms Miller said Mr Polites’ remains had not been interfered with.

Constantine George Polites

By Luke Griffiths

Born to Greek parents in Port Pirie on March 29, 1919. He passed away on September 22, 2001, aged 82. More than 1000 mourners attended his funeral at St Spyridon’s Greek Orthodox Church in Unley.

Married to Florence for 56 years, they had three children. Son George now heads the Polites Group. He left school and set up his own deli-snack bar at the age of 16.

At 19 he moved to Adelaide, working as a general hand at Woolworths in Rundle St. He also sold used cars and worked at a car hire business.

Mr Polites was well known for driving Rolls Royces and smoking cigars.

The late Con Polites headed almost 60 companies in SA and NSW.

He headed almost 60 companies in SA and NSW and he became weary of people asking him what he was worth: “I really don’t know. You may not believe that but it’s true,” was his response.

Buildings that adorned his surname include the hotels Jules, Ambassadors, Princes Berkeley, The Producers and several motels, including Clarice, Princes Arcade and Princes Lodge.

Mr Polites underwent double-bypass heart surgery in 1991.

As part of the search for the Beaumont children in 1966, he paid for a Dutch clairvoyant to come to Australia.

He once said the best money he ever spent was in 1972 on a $236,000 Rundle St property, which was sold in 1989 for $5.3 million. “I was happy with that,” he said.