The Snitch: Mystery woman heats up Fadi Ibrahim’s property case
A mystery woman has joined the fight against Fadi Ibrahim over a multimillion-dollar Sydney property owned by former brothel manager Jamelie Lahood.
Police & Courts
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A mystery woman has joined the fight against Fadi Ibrahim over a multimillion-dollar southern Sydney property.
In 2019, Ibrahim, the younger brother of Kings Cross boss John Ibrahim, launched legal action against ex-Stilettos brothel manager Jamelie Lahood, claiming she defaulted on a $2.5 million loan.
Ibrahim put caveats on Lahood’s multimillion-dollar waterfront mansion in Yowie Bay and the case is ongoing in the NSW Supreme Court.
Now, Mary Kitanovski has entered the fray.
She has taken up a case against Ibrahim in the Supreme Court, where she is seeking an order to have him legally restrained from placing caveats on the Yowie Bay property, which is on Yarraga Pl and is worth an estimated $3 million.
Ms Lahood is listed as the second defendant in the case.
The property is still listed in Ms Lahood’s name.
According to company records, several of Ms Kitanovski’s businesses are registered at the Yarraga Pl mansion. The records also show that Ms Kitanovski has several businesses and is in the trucking or transport game.
However, a mobile phone number on one of her company’s websites was answered by a man who had no idea who she was.
We’ll keep you posted.
RUCKUS OVER RAPTOR
A peak industry body has sought to pressure Attorney-General Mark Speakman to take action after the NSW Police’s anti-bikie squad was found to have engaged in the “deliberate, deceitful and malicious harassment” of a solicitor representing a bikie.
Emmanuel Kerkvasharian, from Defence Lawyers NSW, wrote to Mr Speakman this week demanding six key changes in response to a recent Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) report that found officers from Strike Force Raptor intimidated a defence lawyer in May 2019.
Mr Kerkvasharian wrote “that it appears that the LECC inquiry has resulted in a gateway through which the police involved have been protected from the ordinary sanctions that apply to members of the public”.
In short, he wants the officers’ names made public and he wants the DPP to examine if the officers should be charged.
LECC labelled the officers’ behaviour as “serious misconduct” and “disgraceful”.
It began when the lawyer refused a police request to give evidence in a court case via video link, meaning they had to travel to regional NSW to gather the evidence in person.
On the morning of the hearing, two junior officers from Strike Force Raptor waited outside the solicitor’s home from about 6.30am and followed him to a tyre shop before pulling his car over twice for spurious reasons, LECC found.
The LECC report found the officers “harassed and intimidated (the solicitor) to such an extent that he could not represent (his client) to the best of his abilities”.
In his letter to Mr Speakman, Mr Kerkvasharian questioned why the officers’ conduct was not referred to the DPP to be considered for criminal charges.
He also wrote that the officers’ names should have been disclosed rather than anonymised.
The industry body, which represents 600 solicitors and barristers, also called for defence lawyers to be covered by public justice laws — meaning it would be a criminal offence to threaten or intimidate a lawyer.
He also called for an independent review of the occasionally controversial Strike Force Raptor.
Over to you, Mr Speakman.
DEADLY CRASH
A former NSW Police officer was killed in a motorbike crash this week.
David John Mainsbridge, who left the force after being charged with intimidation and assault charges, died in the motorbike versus car smash on the M7 at Eastern Creek on Friday.
The driver of the car involved in the crash was uninjured.
NSWPF said the former officer resigned in December, 2020 however his lawyer said Mainsbridge was discharged medically unfit.
The fatality came less than two weeks before the retired senior constable was due to front court for the domestic violence case that cost him his career.
He was due to appear in Newcastle Local Court on April 21.
The former Traffic and Highway Patrol officer was also charged in 2019 with unlawfully accessing the police records system a year earlier.
Got a snitch? Contact ava.benny-morrison@news.com.au or brenden.hills@news.com.au
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