Murdered doctor involved with Triads, court told

THE former restaurateur accused of organising the murder of his brother-in-law has told a jury that the Woollahra doctor was involved with the Triads and treated criminals for cash at his surgery.

Mark Caleo claims his brother-in-law was involved with the Triads. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

THE former restaurateur accused of organising the murder of his brother-in-law has told a jury that the Woollahra doctor was involved with the Triads.

Mark Caleo claimed that Dr Michael Chye, who was gunned down in the garage of his home in 1989, was a gambler with many enemies who treated criminals for cash at his surgery.

Caleo, 55, has denied soliciting to murder his wife Rita Caleo, who was stabbed to death in 1990, and soliciting to murder her brother, Dr Chye.

Stabbed to death: Rita Caleo.

Gunned down: Dr Michael Chye.

“Michael, on Rita’s say so, I didn’t want to go down this path, said that he was involved with the Triads,” Caleo said in the Supreme Court witness box today.

Crown prosecutor Margaret Cunneen SC said: “A boy who went to Chatswood High School in the 70s and studied medicine here?”

NANNY FOUND BODY ON BATHROOM FLOOR

MARK CALEO TAKES STAND FOR FIRST TIME

Caleo: “Yes ... quite often he would come to us and let us know that his life was in danger.”

He said the first time Dr Chye said he feared for his life was in about 1987 when he had realised the Caleos had a “decent cash flow” from their numerous Sydney restaurants including one in the QVB.

Caleo admitted making the claims that his brother-in-law was a gambler in an email to family members in December last year.

Mark Caleo denies soliciting the murder of his wife and brother-in-law. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

Today he claimed that one of the theories was that an Asian connection had been behind Dr Chye’s murder.

“(Rita) told me he was a gambler ... and he treated criminals at the surgery for cash and he did have enemies,” Caleo said.

He said he and his wife had loaned Dr Chye money, usually around $5000 a go, between six and 10 times, from 1987 despite the doctor having a successful medical practise at Hurstville.

The Crown alleges that Caleo had Dr Chye killed after a real estate deal went wrong.

In 1989 Caleo had bought his brother-in-law’s Blakehurst waterfront estate for $3 million but cancelled the cheque after learning there was a caveat on the property and Dr Chye allegedly would not let him out of the deal.

Standing trial with Caleo is Alani Afu, 51, who has denied stabbing Ms Caleo to death in the ensuite of her Double Bay townhouse.

Caleo today again denied he had been having an affair at the time with one of his wife’s friends.

The trial before Justice Robert Hulme continues.