Adelaide United’s ex-boss Piet van der Pol ‘selling off assets in Australia’, court hears
Ex-Adelaide United boss Piet van der Pol has gone overseas and is allegedly selling off his assets ahead of a financial stoush with the club, a court has heard.
Police & Courts
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Adelaide United’s former boss is not in the country and is “selling off his assets in Australia” ahead of a $684,000 legal battle, the club has told a court.
On Thursday, the club asked the Supreme Court to immediately grant its application to set aside Piet Van Der Pol’s demand for “unpaid wages”.
Tyneil Flaherty, for the club, said Mr van der Pol had not only failed to comply with court orders requiring he file evidence backing his demand – he no longer had a lawyer.
“We have had this matter called on because of our concerns about Mr van der Pol... the last information we had was that he was overseas,” she said.
“We have information he’s selling off his assets in Australia, which is of concern to us given the proceedings on foot.”
In June, The Advertiser revealed Mr van der Pol had issued the club with a statutory demand for $684,000 in allegedly “unpaid salary” over his time as its executive chairman.
The demand was issued two weeks after Dutch businessman Cor Adriaanse revealed himself as the club’s owner – and announced it had parted ways with Mr van der Pol.
In court, the club denied it owed Mr van der Pol any money and claimed his actual employer was Global Football Operations in Hong Kong.
GFO, it claimed, had paid Mr van der Pol through the club’s bank account so he could secure a home loan in 2021.
On Thursday, lawyer David Colovic confirmed he and his firm wanted the court’s permission to cease acting for Mr van der Pol.
“We’ve been trying to contact him by email, and the last correspondence I received from him was Wednesday of last week,” he said.
“To the best of my knowledge, Mr van der Pol was here (in Adelaide) last week... we’ve contacted him three times since then, and prior to today’s hearing, and there’s been no response.”
The court declined Adelaide United’s application to immediately end the case in its favour and to set aside Mr van der Pol’s demand, saying that should be the subject of full argument.
It adjourned the case until August, ordering Mr Colovic try again to contact Mr van der Pol and let him know of the hearing, the need to file evidence and his lack of legal representation.
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