Roberta Williams uses Lawyer X Scandal in a bid to reclaim family home from the Australian Taxation Office
Gangland widow Roberta Williams has used the Lawyer X scandal to make a last-ditch attempt to claw back her family home from the taxman.
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Gangland widow Roberta Williams has used the scandal over police informer Lawyer X to make a last-ditch attempt to claw back her family home from the taxman.
In September, Williams was forced to hand over the keys to the property in Primrose St, Essendon, after losing a marathon battle with the Australian Taxation Office, which seized it over her late father-in-law George Williams’ tax debt.
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The three-bedroom townhouse is listed for auction at midday on Saturday.
But yesterday, Williams, 49, sought an urgent injunction preventing the sale until after a royal commission into Victoria Police’s use of the controversial informant.
Carolyn Symons, for Williams, told the Supreme Court Lawyer X had represented George Williams — who owned the property and left it to his granddaughter, Dhakota, when he died in 2016 — and his son, gangland killer Carl Williams, during the underworld war.
Ms Symons said the information Lawyer X told George Williams saw him plead guilty to drug trafficking in 2007 and three weeks later, he received a notice of assessment from the Australian Taxation Office.
She said there was enough information to “cause concern” that assessment was linked to the informant.
“We know that (Lawyer X) was working as an informant at the time of the tax assessment,” Ms Symons said.
She said an officer handling the ATO debt had a direct link to the Purana Taskforce investigating the gangland killings, and “we know (Lawyer X) had a direct link to the taskforce”.
She said there was evidence Lawyer X also offered to help George Williams decrease his tax debt in early 2013.
Carl Williams had made a secret deal with police to wipe the tax bill in exchange for co-operation with investigators.
But police reneged just before Carl was murdered inside Barwon Prison in 2010.
Roberta Williams has been fighting the ATO ever since.
She had earlier told the Herald Sun the deal should be honoured, otherwise Carl, her ex-husband and Dhakota’s father, died for nothing.
James McKay, for the ATO, argued against the injunction, saying it was purely speculation that Lawyer X had any involvement in the tax assessment process.
He said a royal commission could take years, with interest continuing to grow on the debt in the meantime.
He said the tax bill had already “skyrocketed” to almost $960,000, while the reserve price on the Essendon property was just $750,000.
Justice Steven Moore said if Williams was not successful with the injunction, then she and other interested parties could file for compensation if anything was to come out of the royal commission.
Her lawyer said that would take away Dhakota’s right to live in her family home, adding that Williams was purely the executor of George’s will and not a beneficiary.
Justice Moore reserved his decision until tomorrow.
Williams did not say anything about the application as she left court, but if she didn’t think things could get any worse, she found her car being towed from a clearway.
As the tow truck drove off with her BMW, she walked off with her lawyer.