Salim Mehajer: Former deputy mayor to spend Xmas in jail on remand
Salim Mehajer entered court a free man but left in handcuffs after his bail was revoked in the latest chapter of the property developer’s downfall.
Inner West
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Disgraced former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has been thrown back behind bars and will spend Christmas in jail.
The controversial property developer will spend the festive season in prison on remand after a District Court judge revoked his bail on Friday over perverting the course of justice charges he was found guilty of in October.
His father and one of his sisters watched on as he emptied his pockets, rapidly emailed important files from a laptop to his lawyers and was led away to the cells by court sheriffs.
It marks the latest chapter in the spectacular downfall of Mehajer from a colourful deputy mayor to a convicted criminal who has spent recent years in and out of jail.
Mehajer had been found guilty of two counts of perverting the course of justice and one of making a false statement under oath at a judge-alone trial in October and has spent the last two months waiting to learn his fate.
District Court judge Peter Zahra described that period as “shambolic” as the court was told Mehajer’s legal aid was recently cancelled and he no longer had a solicitor.
The court heard Mehajer was in a dispute with his legal representatives after paying them an extra $10,000 above what legal aid had granted him.
Both the Crown and his barrister Ertunc Ozen SC told the court on Friday that he will likely have to spend another stint in jail when his sentence is handed down next year.
Mehajer was released last May after spending 11 months in prison on electoral fraud charges.
Mr Ozen argued Mehajer was not a flight risk and needed to stay in the community to prepare for his sentencing next year.
He told the court Mehajer paid his solicitors to arrange to see a psychologist but they had not transferred the money in time and left him without an appointment.
“He will forfeit the surety (if he flees) he has a quarter of a million dollars riding on that,” he said.
“Given the publicity this matter has received it would be difficult to engage in a deceptive practice.
“He couldn’t be that naive that if he were minded to do this it would have any chance of success.
“He has a record that probably everyone in Sydney knows.”
Mehajer had also been listed on Friday to appear in a civil case against SC Lowy Primary Investments in the Supreme Court.
Judge Zahra said Mehajer has a history of “manipulating the court” was a risk of committing more crimes because his current case occurred when he was on both bail and parole.
He will return to the District Court next February for sentencing.
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