The Snitch: Salim Mehajer’s sister Zenah Osman sues lawyer Hector Ekes
A lawyer whose office was bashed up with a baseball bat in 2007 is now facing legal action from Salim Mehajer’s sister. PLUS this week’s curious tweet from the under-fire gangs squad boss.
NSW
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What is it with Sydney lawyer Hector Ekes and his ex-clients and their business associates?
Well known eastern suburbs business identity “Big” Jim Byrnes was jailed in 2007 — only to win on appeal — for smashing up Mr Ekes’ legal office with a baseball bat after a business dealing between Byrnes and one of Eke's then-clients went sour.
Now Mr Ekes is being sued in the NSW Supreme Court by the sister of disgraced former developer and wedding influencer Salim Mehajer.
Mr Mehajer’s sister Zenah Osman, who is also a solicitor, has lodged a summons in the court claiming Mr Ekes is still holding money in his firm’s trust account that belongs to the fast-failing Mehajer empire.
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According to the document, Ms Osman is asking the court to force Mr Ekes to pay funds he is allegedly holding from the sale of 19 and 21 John St, Lidcombe.
According to property records, 19 John St is a one-bedroom unit that was sold for $500,000 in 2013, while 21 is a commercial property that a Mehajer company bought for $1.8 million and still owns.
But it seems the Mehajer camp is not entirely sure how much of their money Mr Ekes is allegedly in possession of.
One of the points in the summons has asked the court to order Mr Ekes to account for “all transactions” relating to the trust fund and the Mehajer funds.
Mr Ekes could not be reached via several phone calls this week.
Let’s hope it ends in a more peaceful fashion than Mr Ekes’ relationship with Mr Byrnes.
Byrnes, a former bankruptcy adviser to disgraced businessman Alan Bond, pleaded guilty to affray, malicious damage and having an offensive weapon in a public place.
He immediately appealed on being told he was being sent to prison and was successful in having his jail term overturned in the District Court. In August 2007, then Chief Judge Reg Blanch confirmed the convictions, but decided that Byrnes should pay a $4200 fine and serve a three-year good behaviour bond instead.
MEME STREETS
It’s been a hell of a week for the newly minted boss of the Criminal Groups Squad, Detective Superintendent Rob Critchlow.
But comparing the internal rumblings to leading Britain to a World War II victory might be a stretch.
As some feared before his head-scratching appointment last year, he has been ruffling a few feathers within the ranks at the State Crime Command.
He benched two Strike Force Raptor officers after their allegedly heavy-handed pursuit and arrest of an accused rapist sparked a Professional Standards Command investigation.
Several senior detectives have either left the squad or have one foot out the door.
Copping heat from all sides, the former Castle Hill police boss — who was plucked from obscurity at the police institute in Manly to run one of the most high-profile squads in the force — took a breather from the storm to tweet on Thursday.
He posted a meme of British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill with the words “if you’re going through hell, keep going”. The simple comment accompanying the photo was #resilient.
When Snitch revisited his Twitter account on Saturday, it had been deleted, which is unsurprising considering no other commanders have an active social media footprint.
COP RISES TO THE TOP
The NSW Police Commissioner has a New Right hand man.
Fairfield Police boss Detective Superintendent Jason Weinstein has been appointed the CoP’s chief of staff.
It has been a steady ascent for Weinstein, with runs on the board from stints at the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad, the Drug Squad and mostly recently handling the police response to dance festivals as the South West Metropolitan Region operations manager.