The tech billionaire, his wife, her ex-husband and a big property deal
WiseTech Global founder Richard White has invested in many ventures, but a disused industrial site is one of the more surprising. It could be a lucrative one.
Richard White married Zena Nasser earlier this year. Bethany Rae
A disused Aldi supermarket site in Sydney’s west is an unlikely place for a technology billionaire to put his money. But the two-acre plot of land in Fairfield is where WiseTech Global founder Richard White has made one of his biggest personal investments, bankrolling a multimillion-dollar apartment development with a controversial history.
At the heart of the deal is Mark Merhi, a 50-year-old failed property developer who fled to Dubai with corporate debts of $80 million and was a suspect in a firebombing investigation in the mid-2000s. Merhi also happens to be the ex-husband of Zena Nasser, who married White in July.
Max MasonSenior courts and crime reporterMax Mason covers financial crime, courts and corporate wrongdoing. A Walkley Award winner, Max’s journalism has also received awards from the National Press Club of Australia, the Kennedy Awards and Citibank. Message Max on Signal https://tinyurl.com/MaxMason Connect with Max on Twitter. Email Max at max.mason@afr.com
Kate McClymontSenior ReporterKate McClymont is chief investigative reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald. Connect with Kate on Twitter. Email Kate at kmcclymont@smh.com.au
Nick McKenzieInvestigative reporterNick McKenzie is an Age investigative journalist who has twice been named the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year. A winner of 16 Walkley Awards, including the Gold Walkley, he investigates politics, business, foreign affairs and criminal justice. Email Nick at nickmckenzie@protonmail.com
