Tom Elyas, Stanislaw Wojtyniak, Dann Haimovitch and Aaron Baslangic face Victorian courts

In a world of professionals who embody integrity and excellence, there exists a shadowy underbelly of individuals who have recently been making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Dodgy white collar workers revealed

In a world of professionals who embody integrity and excellence, there exists a shadowy underbelly of individuals who have recently been making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

COLES EMPLOYEE’S AUDACIOUS MONEY LAUNDERING FROM CORPORATE GIANTS

A “highly intelligent” former Coles financial executive siphoned almost $2m from the corporate giant Coles because he was ”angry”.

Aaron Baslangic made 14 fraudulent transactions from Coles into multiple bank accounts — the most considerable sum in a single transaction being more than $413,000.

The 40-year-old who lives in Sandringham siphoned the stolen money between January and July 2019 working as the head of strategic initiatives for Coles Online.

The stolen money was transferred into his eight personal bank accounts through various methods, including creating fake emails from his supervisors to authorise payments to a fictitious business and real estate and car companies.

Baslangic did not stop his offending until he was discovered by Coles, who connected the suspicious transactions totalling $1,978,550 to his personal bank accounts.

Adnan Ahmad pleaded not guilty at the Shepparton Magistrates' Court on Friday.

Judge Duncan Allen said he was confused by the “strangely unsophisticated” conduct committed by a ”well-educated man”.

“The conduct is extremely bizarre in that he must have known this was to be picked up very soon; he made no attempts to cover his tracks,” Judge Allen said.

“Brazen is one word for it; the other word is incredibly stupid … it‘s very odd,”

“A year 12 student could have worked out where this money was going … it‘s extremely bizarre.”

Baslangic was remanded in custody on June 9 and has paid back $1,313,634 to Coles but still owes $615,000. He has pleaded guilty to the crime.

RETAILER’S LUCRATIVE ILLICIT CIGARETTE TRADE EXPOSED

A tobacconist who fled war-inflicted Iraq and smuggled thousands of illicit cigarettes and pleaded guilty to knowingly possessing smuggled goods.

Tom Elyas, 55, arrived in Australia on a humanitarian visa before becoming a citizen — he was selling illegal cigarettes through his two tobacco shops.

7kg of loose tobacco and thousands of illicit cigarettes were priced differently between the two shops.

State prosecutor Anthony Albore told the court Elyas had avoided more than $250,000 in excise by illegally possessing tobacco products.

“A clear reason why excise and tax are attached to cigarettes is because of the health complications with smoking,” Mr Albore said.

Elyas‘ attorney told the court the business owner lacked oversight on the now-sold tobacco businesses.

“When we think of single cigarettes being sold, we think that can be to children, and he understands the seriousness and has remorse,” the defence lawyer said.

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Adnan Ahmad pleaded not guilty at the Shepparton Magistrates' Court on Friday.

Elyas‘ lawyer asked Magistrate Nahrain Warda to show leniency in sentencing.

Ms Warda said she considered many factors in his sentencing.

“I take into account you pleaded guilty early, and you come before the court at the age of 55 with no prior history, and that‘s significant since you came to the country in 1992,” she said.

“Your character references show you play a significant role in your community, and this offending is out of character.”

Elyas was given a $5000 fine without conviction.

BLIND DRIVER’S RECKLESS ADVENTURE

Stanislaw Wojtyniak was caught travelling southbound through Campbellfield in July last year, despite having his licence suspended in 2012 after failing an eye test.

The 57-year-old, who owns an engineering business, had also been caught drunk driving on other occasions.

Wojtyniak‘s lawyer told the court his client had “drink driving” issues that had left him without a car for 30 days and only returned with an interlock.

“He hasn‘t been driving since and doesn’t have his license back,” he said.

Magistrate David Langton told Wojtyniak he would go to jail if caught driving while disqualified again.

He was fined $500 and ordered to complete VicRoad obligations before he could return to driving.

RAPIST GP AND DISGRACED FATHER LEARNS FATE

A doctor who repeatedly raped his daughter and forced her to get an abortion will not be allowed to provide any health service until he is at least 90.

The man, referred to as XOT to protect his now adult daughter, surrendered his medical registration just two days after he was charged by police in 2019.

The longstanding GP regularly touched and raped his daughter between the ages of eight and 18 from the mid-1970s to the 1980s.

The man would force his daughter to take the morning-after pill on the occasions he didn‘t use a condom, the court heard.

In describing the man‘s crimes at his criminal sentencing in 2020, Judge Michael Tinney told the court they were so heinous and “shameful” that the man could not expect leniency for his age or health issues.

“At one point, when she was in Year 11, your daughter fell pregnant to you,” Mr Tinney said.

“You chastised her for falling pregnant. You organised and paid for her to have an abortion, booking the appointment under a false name and then driving her to the clinic.

The tribunal found being entrusted with the welfare of vulnerable people, including children, was a “bedrock requirement” for medical practitioners.

The Medical Board of Australia submitted while national law meant medical professionals could only be disqualified for a set amount of time, there were some cases where the deregistration should be “career-ending.”

XOT cannot reapply for medical registration until he is at least 90 when his criminal sentence expires.