Heat turned up on Tony Mokbel’s money man
JACOBUS “Jack” Smit - a key figure in the rise of Tony Mokbel from pizza shop owner to multi-millionaire - is facing tough times with alleged debts of more than $5.8 million.
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TONY Mokbel’s main money man is facing tough times with alleged debts of more than $5.8 million.
Jacobus “Jack” Smit — a key figure in the rise of Mokbel from pizza shop owner to multi-millionaire — is the target of a push by creditors to have him declared bankrupt.
He is being chased through Federal Court action over $5,841,873 he allegedly owes.
Mr Smit’s address is still listed as an opulent apartment on Beach Rd, Port Melbourne, but it is not clear whether he actually lives there.
That property, which was next door to one owned by Tony Mokbel during his reign as one of Melbourne’s most prolific drug dealers, was sold earlier this year.
Smit has in recent years been a business partner of Mokbel’s former lover Danielle McGuire.
They were at the centre of a court battle last year in which they were accused of trying to muscle in on a $40 million apartment development in Essendon.
The bankruptcy application was lodged by Perpetual Nominees Ltd and Australian Unity Funds Management Ltd. Federal Court documents show Mr Smit has proved elusive to those chasing the money.
An affidavit from process server Geoffrey Birch said he tried to contact Mr Smit earlier this year to give him a creditor’s petition.
Mr Birch said he buzzed the Beach St intercom and told the female who answered he was looking for Mr Smit.
“I then heard this person say ‘Geoffrey Birch for you’. I then heard a male voice and was unable to make out the words spoken and then the female person stated ‘he’s not here’.”
On another occasion, Mr Birch said he was able to make contact with a man on Mr Smit’s mobile phone.
That man said: “He’s not here at the moment”.
Mr Smit failed to return written messages and an email from Mr Birch.
The process server wrote on March 12 this year: “I believe that Smit is fully aware of this creditor’s petition proceeding, that Smit is avoiding service of the creditor’s petition.”
Many millions of dollars allegedly passed through the hands of Mr Smit during his years of association with Mokbel.
Attempts to contact Mr Smit were not successful.