Rafat Alameddine and lawyer Abdul Saddik not guilty of meeting at Merrylands in Covid
A prominent member of the Alameddine family and his high-profile lawyer have been found not guilty over a meeting at a western Sydney park during the strict Covid lockdown.
Parramatta
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Rafat Alameddine and his lawyer Abdul Saddik have been found not guilty over a meeting at a Merrylands park during the tight Covid restrictions imposed during the Delta lockdown, a court has heard.
They were each charged with not complying with noticed direction after the meeting at the Ted Burge Sportsground on September 6, 2021, shortly before 6.30pm.
During a brief hearing at Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday, Magistrate Rami Attia determined whether the excuse to leave their homes for a meeting was reasonable at a time when leaving the home and local government areas were restricted.
Police body-worn footage played to the court showed Senior Constable Michael Roach from the Raptor Squad approaching the pair at the Centenary Rd park.
Mr Saddik was wearing a mask but Mr Alameddine was not.
Mr Saddik told the police there were two positive Covid cases in his office so he approached his client. Both were close to their homes and not breaching rules about leaving their local government areas of Cumberland, which was a hotspot during the Delta outbreak.
Senior Constable Roach questioned why the method of face-to-face communication was essential to which Mr Saddik said he could not disclose the reason.
When questioned about why the meeting could not be conducted over the phone or online, Magistrate Rami Attia said it was “likely” because someone would be listening.
In giving evidence, Mr Saddik said the “anxiety in relation to Covid-19 and catching Covid-19 was extremely high” after two employees at his Chullora office tested positive.
The office and building had to be shut for deep cleaning.
“It was very serious at the time,’’ Mr Saddik said.
He told the court he was “an authorised worker conducting an essential service, i.e. the administration of justice”.
He defended leaving home for the meeting, telling the court specific clients prefer “the old-school way” of meeting lawyers in person and that the public health orders did not forbid face-to-face meetings.
The court heard the solicitor would have preferred a phone meeting but “you cannot deny a client a right to see his lawyer in person”.
During cross-examination, the police prosecutor told Mr Saddik that “safety wasn’t your paramount concern was it, because he (Mr Alameddine) wasn’t even wearing a mask”.
The prosecutor said the meeting was not a legal obligation.
“My submission is that this meeting was really undertaken for the convenience of his client.
“It would have been reasonably practical to hold that meeting at his place of work or by phone.’’
The prosecution’s remarks about solicitors not being authorised workers during the pandemic was also disputed.
Mr Attia found Mr Alameddine and Mr Saddik not guilty.
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