Charbel Douna, Elie Douna: LuxLiving Avoca Park Estate contracts allegedly faked with friends and family’s names

Twin brothers planning to build a luxe housing estate allegedly tried to convince a bank to loan them $15 million by offering up false sales contracts in their friends’ and family’s names.

Police will allege twin building bosses charged with fraud used their loved ones’ names on fake sales contracts for their latest development to convince a bank to loan them $15 million.

Lux Living directors Charbel and Elie Douna, 33, had grand plans to build a luxurious estate in Avondale called Avoca Park, with 10 investors lined up to call the development home.

Now the Illawarra builders have both been charged with 19 counts of publishing false information, dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage and participating in a criminal group.

Twin brothers and Lux Living directors Elie Douna (left) and Charbel Douna (right) appear at Port Kembla Local Court for the first time. Picture: Eliza Barr

Police will allege the Dounas provided nine fake sales contracts and deposit receipts for Avoca Park – along with 10 legitimate ones – to Australian Unity Bank in an effort to obtain a $15 million loan to kickstart the development.

Documents tendered to Port Kembla Local Court last week now allege the Dounas listed their family, close friends whose weddings they attended and high school mates as registered buyers for Avoca Park – though they never had any intention of buying into the estate at all.

Elie Douna and his wife Emily.

The Dounas also allegedly included receipts indicating each of the nine parties had made deposits of up to $58,000 on lots at Avoca Park – which police now allege never existed.

There is no suggestion the family of friends listed were involved in the allegations in anyway.

When Charbel and Elie Douna were first arrested, Detective Chief Inspector Glen Broadhead said police believe the allegedly false contracts were designed to assure the bank the Dounas had enough money to proceed with the loan.

“We believe those (illegitimate) contracts have been put in names of people who have not purchased land or had no intention to purchase land,” he said.

“It has been quite staggering, one person didn’t even know where Avondale was.”

Charbel and Sara Douna.

The pair will next face Wollongong Local Court on June 30 alongside real estate agent Ben Feltham, who was also charged with nine counts of publishing false information to obtain advantage and participating in a criminal group over the alleged scheme.

A police prosecutor indicated the Office of the Department of Public Prosecutions will take over the case on that date.

Elie and Charbel are the husbands of Instagram influencers, Sara and Emily Douna, who between them have more than 100,000 followers.

The twins feature heavily on Emily and Sara’s pages, travelling the world, dining at restaurants like Nobu and Mimi’s regularly, and buying their betrotheds extravagant gifts.

Their wives Emily and Sara are not accused of any wrongdoing.