By Chloe Booker
A wealthy Melbourne councillor has been convicted and fined $23,000 over a string of charges relating to his failure to disclose his company interests in the city's west.
In the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on Monday, Intaj Khan, a Wyndham councillor and aspiring Labor politician, was convicted on eight counts of failing to disclose interests as required by the Local Government Act.
Wyndham councillor Intaj Khan.Credit: Jason South
The 44-year-old has been dubbed the "king of bling" for his conspicuous wealth and large property portfolio.
Cr Khan – who faced fines up to $80,000 – can remain a councillor despite the conviction.
A rendering of Cr Khan's planned home in Tarneit.
He earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to disclose companies in which he held office during the return period, three counts of failing to disclose companies in which he held a financial interest and two counts of failing to submit ordinary returns between February 2016 and February 2017.
The Local Government Act 1989 requires councillors to lodge returns every six months while they are in office to make sure they declare any conflicts of interests regarding council business.
In a June 18 hearing, defence lawyer Sarah Keating argued that Cr Khan’s failure to disclose all companies in which he held office or held a financial interest was inadvertent rather than deliberate and resulted in no personal benefit to him.
She said a conviction would have “an excessively detrimental effect” on Cr Khan as both a councillor and businessman.
However, on Monday, Magistrate Therese McCarthy convicted Cr Khan, calling him a “sophisticated businessman” capable of asking questions on reporting obligations.
“The prosecution submitted that you disclosed other interests which were required to be disclosed, but that you didn’t want to disclose the ones relevant to the charges,” she told him.
Ms McCarthy said Cr Khan’s guilty plea was evidence of his remorse and was taken into account in her sententencing.
She said the prosecution did not seek to indict him on fraud, conflict of interest, advantage or incentive charges.
He was convicted of failure to disclose companies in which he held office during the return period, failure to disclose companies in which he held a financial interest, and failure to submit ordinary returns.
Cr Khan declined to comment after the hearing.
With Star Weekly