$50,000 found in former border force officer’s home after she made bribe, court told

A FORMER border force officer and NSW Police employee paid $100,000 to a custom official after allegedly helping the Jomaa brothers smuggle tobacco into the country, a court has heard.

• Syndicate allegedly bribed ABF officers to smuggle drugs
• Koder Jomaa’s life as Dubai restaurant owner

A FORMER border force officer and NSW Police employee paid $100,000 to a custom official and was found with $50,000 in her family home after allegedly helping a notorious family smuggle tobacco into the country, a court has heard.

Johayna Merhi, 41, was yesterday granted bail in Sydney Central Local Court with police alleging the former Australian Border Force officer used her connections in the force to help brothers Ali Jomaa, 42, and Abbas Jomaa, 54, smuggle illegal tobacco through Port Botany between March and April.

Johayna Merhi’s mother-in-law and husband outside Sydney Central court.

Merhi was arrested and charged along with members of the infamous Jomaa family and ABF operative Craig Richard Eakin, 42, on August 8 when federal police launched co-ordinated raids across Sydney and overseas as part of Operation Astatine.

According to police allegations contained in court papers, Merhi bribed ABF team leader Eakin, paying him $100,000 to prevent a shipping container registered to the Jomaa brothers, which was full of the tobacco, from being searched at customs.

The court was told police would tender evidence of recorded telephone intercepts and photographic surveillance which allegedly captured the deal taking place.

Koder Jomaa. Picture: Facebook

Evidence found during Operation Astatine.

On August 8 federal police arrested Eakin in Sydney while Merhi’s Hurstville home was raided with investigators uncovering $50,000 in cash.

The same day the alleged kingpin of the crime syndicate, 47-year-old Koder Jomaa, was arrested in Dubai and his brothers Ali Jomaa and Abbas Jomaa were taken into custody in Rockdale in Sydney’s south.

The Jomaa family has been on the police radar for a decade and it is alleged they were planning to import 200kg of the drug MDMA, which never made it here.

Koder quit Sydney for Dubai three years ago after the collapse of his marriage and swiftly set up a healthy eatery and delivery service Fit Food Kitchen in the exclusive Jumeirah Lake Towers.

Ali and Abbas Jomaa have both since been charged with offences relating to drug importation, directing a criminal group, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and smuggling.

Craig Eakin is arrested at Brighton Le Sands during Operation Astatine.

Another of the eight arrests during Operation Asatine on August 8.

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions today opposed, saying there were concerns Merhi had access to large amounts of cash and could use her knowledge gained while working as an ABF officer to buy false documents and skip the country.

Magistrate Beverley Schurr acknowledged these but said the $1.1 million surety plus the fact Merhi’s three children lived and attended school in Sydney and the strict daily reporting conditions imposed were enough to mitigate the risk of non-appearance.

Reading from the statement of facts Magistrate Schurr told the court it would be alleged Merhi was able to bribe Eakin to “minimise surveillance of the container” when it arrived in Port Botany.

“She was working with someone still at ABF to circumvent surveillance but there is electronic surveillance which supports the allegation of her involvement in corruption and bribery.

“When they (police) executed a search warrant at her family home her children were there and police uncovered $50,000.”

Johayna Merhi’s (from left) lawyer, mother-in-law and husband outside Sydney Central court.

Appearing via audiovisual link in court dressed in prison greens and with a sombre look on her face, Merhi remained silent throughout proceedings. She showed no emotion when she was granted bail.

Her husband and mother-in-law were in court for the bail application but did not address the media as they left court.

Merhi is facing five charges of bribing a commonwealth official, committing an offence to benefit a criminal organisation and handling hundreds of thousands of dollars alleged to be the proceeds of crime.

She is yet to enter a plea.

Merhi’s defence lawyer James William Conomos told the court the mother-of-three had no previous criminal record and was not flight risk as her three children were all still in school.

She will be required to report daily to police, reside at her Hurstville home, not attempt to leave the state or country, and is to have no contact with the Jomaa brothers or Eakin.

She will face court again in October.