Salim Mehajer unable to stand in upcoming local council elections

SALIM Mehajer has ambitions to be prime minister, but that dream is looking less likely than ever now thanks to a roadblock that’s been put in his way.

HE ONCE declared he wanted to become Prime Minister but that goal may be further away than it’s ever been for controversial former deputy mayor Salim Mehajer.

The property developer lost his prized position as a local councillor when Auburn Council, in Sydney’s West, was abolished last year as part of the NSW Government’s council mergers policy.

The state government has now said Mr Mehajer will be unable to stand for election at Cumberland Council, the new local authority that includes Auburn, reported the Daily Telegraph.

However, Mr Mehajer’s fellow councillors — including some of his fiercest critics — will be free to put their name on the ballot paper.

In November 2015, Mr Mehajer was issued with a three year ban by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) preventing him for managing corporations. Although he appealed the penalty, it was upheld.

The Office of Local Government has confirmed to news.com.au that a person disqualified from running a company under the Corporations Act 2001 is also barred from holding civic office.

With Mr Mehajer’s disqualification not due to expire until November 2018, it puts this year’s council elections off limits.

Talking to news.com.au last year, Mr Mehajer slammed the enforced council amalgamations as being pushed through due to “hidden agendas” and that authorities had been merged “in a nonsensical way”.

Salim in an avid selfie fan, particularly on Instagram.

Asked if he might consider a return to local politics he said he was, “definitely not ruling this out”.

But the disqualification will expire before the next state election, likely in 2019, leaving the way open for him to leapfrog a level of Government on the long journey to The Lodge.

He’ll face stiff competition in the state electorate of Auburn, however, with the seat one of Labor’s safest and the local member opposition leader Luke Foley.

He may have other priorities before the next poll, such as fighting off an attempt by the Australian Taxation Office to nab a share of a reported $4 million property windfall.

The tussle with the tax office relates to a block in Mary St, Auburn that rocketed in value following its purchase by a company majority owned by Mr Mehajer.

Following a rezoning in the local area, the parcel of land, which had been purchased for just shy of $4 million, rocketed in estimated value by $1 million.

On Monday, Fairfax Media reported that the Mary St property was sold last year for $8 million netting Mr Mehajer’s company a profit of more than $4m.

The ATO reportedly wants a chunk of that profit.

But the company says their taxable income for the financial year was zero and the $4.28m windfall should not be counted towards it, the report says.

The Mary St money was not ordinary income and so should be taxed at a lower rate anyway, the company argues.

News.com.au has contacted Mr Mehajer.