Trader Brett Trevillian seeks to live in Dubai after false documents charges

A once-lauded investment manager who stands charged with falsifying documents about his funds’ performance has made another bid to live overseas while he remains before the courts.

Brett Trevillian (left, foreground) leaves Downing Centre Local Court on July 28. Picture: Eliza Barr

A high-flying investment manager charged with falsifying reports about his funds’ success has failed in his latest bid to return to his Dubai home while he remains before the courts.

Brett Trevillian was once lauded for his supposedly revolutionary trading methods in global precious metal markets, involving an algorithm he created to identify trading behaviours in the market.

But now the 49-year-old ex-Credit Suisse gold trader is facing four serious charges over allegations he falsified reports about the fund’s performance for several years.

ASIC will allege that between May and October 2019, Trevillian – then the director of Metal Alpha and former investment manager of Trading Life Services, previously known as AlphaThorn – created four forged portfolio performance verification reports.

Court documents tendered to Downing Centre Local Court state the allegedly forged reports pertained to secured monthly returns for 2012 to 2018, secured yearly returns for 2012 to 2018, secured yearly returns for 2014 to 2018, and enhanced yearly returns for 2014 to 2018.

It is further alleged those reports were intended to be provided to potential investors.

Brett Trevillian (left, foreground) leaves Downing Centre Local Court on July 28. Picture: Eliza Barr

Trevillian was arrested at Sydney Airport on July 17, charged and granted police bail.

Days later he unsuccessfully sought a variation in court which would permit him to live in Dubai while his charges were on foot.

His senior counsel Troy Edwards made a second attempt at a bail review before Magistrate Susan Horan at Downing Centre Local Court on September 26.

Mr Edwards reinforced to the court that Trevillian stood to lose his family, a home he intended to develop in Blueys Beach, a $10 million civil suit in the NSW Supreme Court in which he is the plaintiff and $200,000 of his father’s money if he did not return to NSW to answer the charges.

The court also heard Trevillian’s partner cannot currently reside in Australia and his business – Metal Alpha – is an Emirati-registered corporation.

The Downing Centre court complex. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

But Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions solicitor Frank Farah did not resile from his concern about the bail risk of Trevillian not returning to answer the charges.

Ms Horan said the statement of alleged facts from ASIC set out a “serious example of offences” under the relevant act.

“It’s a significant bail variation that is sought and it goes to the heart of the unacceptable risk of failing to appear,” Ms Horan said.

“I accept that he has family ties in NSW, he has property interests in NSW, significant litigation proceedings in the Supreme Court where he is the plaintiff, but he also has significant connections overseas.”

Ms Horan ultimately ruled the risk of Trevillian not returning to the jurisdiction was too significant and denied his application to return to Dubai.

“His affidavit sets out that he is a resident of Dubai, the CEO of a corporation by the name of MetalAlpha which is an Emirati-registered corporation, he has a residence in Dubai, and his defacto partner of more than four years resides there,” Ms Horan noted.

“I’m of the view the risks are not mitigated by allowing him to reside in the UAE.”

The trader will instead be required to continue residing in Newcastle.

Trevillian’s matter will return to court in October.