Salim Mehajer unable to pay legal fees in assault case
FORMER Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has had his court case on charges of assaulting a taxi driver adjourned after his lawyer withdrew because the flashy property developer said he could not pay his legal fees.
NSW
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TROUBLED former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has had his court case on charges of assaulting a taxi driver adjourned after his lawyer spectacularly withdrew because the flashy property developer said he could not pay his legal fees.
Looking thin and drawn after spending eight days in custody on an unrelated matter, Mehajer told Magistrate Vivien Swain he was seeking an adjournment because a garnishee order had been placed on his “solicitor’s account”, preventing him from paying his lawyer’s fees.
Mehajer said the garnishee order was made following a court judgment against one of his businesses.
He said he had been trying to rectify it when “the unexpected happened” and he was arrested last week on allegations he staged a car crash to avoid court and defraud an insurer.
Magistrate Swain granted the adjournment but ordered Mehajer to see Legal Aid to gain free legal representation.
Earlier, lawyer Brett Galloway told Ms Swain he had been placed in an ethical dilemma and an “untenable situation” and had to withdraw from the case, saying Mehajer will have to represent himself.
Prosecutor Senior Sergeant Amin Assaad opposed the adjournment, telling Ms Swain she should take whatever Mehajer said with a “very large grain of salt”.
He claimed he had spoken to Mehajer’s legal team yesterday and before court this morning and they had never mentioned that they would withdraw because Mehajer could not pay his fees.
The case will return to court tomorrow.
Mehajer, 31, is accused of stealing taxi driver Nazir Syed’s EFTPOS machine and then tossing it at his head following a scuffle at The Star casino in the early hours of the morning of April 2 last year. He is also accused of stealing Mr Syed’s phone.
Mehajer was arrested 40 minutes later at Darlinghurst and spent the night in custody before being granted police bail the following morning.
Mr Syed said outside of court this morning that he was “frustrated” by the delay as he has taken the day off work to attend court.
The property developer landed in more hot water when he allegedly assaulted a TV journalist while leaving the police station.
Mehajer has pleaded not guilty to larceny, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, destroy or damage property and common assault on Mr Syed.
The saga continued when Mehajer failed to turn up to his court hearing on the matter in October last year because he was involved in a car accident while driving his Mercedes to Downing Centre Local Court, in Sydney’s CBD.
Last week Mehajer was arrested by police accused of staging the crash to delay his court case and to defraud his insurer NRMA.
He was refused bail on the fresh charges and remains on remand at Silverwater jail.
Mehajer will also contest a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against Channel 7 reporter Laura Banks next month.