Battle over accused drug lord Jabour Lahood’s Dural mansion
It’s the sale of a $5m mansion that involves an accused drug lord, his wife, a former brothel madam and a financial services firm that claims to be owed $2 million. The drama unfolded in court as Jabour Anthony Lahood awaits his trial in Western Australia.
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It’s a story that could only happen in Sydney — the sale of a $5 million mansion that involves an accused drug lord, his wife, a former brothel madam and a financial services firm that claims to be owed $2 million.
At the centre of this bizarre case is Jabour Anthony Lahood.
The 54-year-old is behind bars in Western Australia, where he is awaiting trial over his alleged role in Australia’s biggest drug bust, where police seized $1 billion of methamphetamine in 2017.
Meanwhile, his wife Gemma Tolomeo’s plans to sell their sprawling luxury estate at Dural in Sydney’s north west have forced her into court.
The property, known as “Duralong”, is described as an “exceptional acreage estate in a blue-ribbon location offering lifestyle and luxury” with five bedrooms and bathrooms, four car spots, sprawling manicured gardens, a swimming pool and tennis court.
It sold for $5.08 million on December 14 to an undisclosed buyer and settlement on the sale was set to be finalised on Monday.
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But the proceeds of the sale are now at risk after a Sydney financial services company put a caveat on the property, claiming Lahood owes them $2 million.
The caveat has been taken out by Alexandria-based Reliance Financial Services, whose director is Mark Wehbe.
According to a document attached to the caveat, an undisclosed “judgment” for $2 million was granted to former owners of the financial services company “in about June 2010” and “has not been paid”.
Reliance and Mr Wehbe now want that money paid from the property sale.
Ms Tolomeo, who is the sole director of the company that owns the property, took the matter to the NSW Supreme Court on Friday where her lawyers had the caveat thrown out.
However, lawyers for Reliance told the court they would now be launching a separate legal action to have the alleged debt paid from the proceeds of the sale.
In her affidavit, which was read in court, Ms Tolomeo said she had no knowledge of any debt, had never heard of Reliance Financial Services or been served with any legal documents.
Ms Tolomeo also told the court her former accountant Sam Cassaniti, who was previously involved with Reliance, was responsible for the caveat being taken out.
Mr Cassaniti was in court on Friday and said: “Mr Lahood and Ms Tolomeo borrowed a lot of money from Reliance and never paid it back.”
Mr Cassaniti submitted an affidavit to the court that said the debt was from a number of loans.
One allegedly included a $150,000 loan to Ms Tolomeo and her husband in 2003 that was not repaid and has been compounding daily interest since, the court heard.
Ms Tolomeo’s document said money had been repaid to Mr Cassaniti but did not disclose the amount.
Equally intriguing is the backstory revealed in Ms Tolomeo’s affidavit outlining how she and her husband bought the house.
Jabour Lahood is the brother of Jamelie Lahood, the former madam of the high-profile Stilettos brothel in Camperdown.
Jamelie is also the ex of gambling identity and former Stilettos owner Eddie Hayson.
Ms Tolomeo’s company bought the house from Hayson in 2013 for $3 million, according to her affidavit.
Ms Tolomeo’s affidavit said her company paid $2 million, while the balance was covered by a debt Mr Hayson owed to her husband.
Jabour was arrested and extradited to Western Australia in 2018 where he was charged over a 1.2 tonnes of methamphetamine shipment smuggled from China to the WA port town of Geraldton.
The drug haul had an estimated street value of $1.04 billion.
Jabour was one of a number of people arrested and is set to stand trial in April charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs.
Mr Hayson, Jamelie Lahood and Ms Tolomeo have not been charged with any criminal offences and there is no suggestion they have participated in illegal behaviour.
Meanwhile, Jamelie Lahood is embroiled in a property dispute of her own with Fadi Ibrahim.
Ibrahim, the 45-year-old brother of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim, has taken her to the NSW Supreme Court claiming she borrowed $2.5 million from him but then defaulted on the loan.
Jamelie is defending the case.