Salim Mehajer jailed for two years, three months for lying to court

Disgraced Sydney businessman Salim Mehajer will spend at least two years and three months behind bars after a court found he lied under oath.

Disgraced property developer Salim Mehajer has been jailed for at least two years and three months for lying under oath to further his business interests.

The former Auburn deputy mayor, 34, will not be eligible for parole on January 18, 2023.

Mehajer was sentenced today after he was found guilty in October of two counts of perverting the course of justice and one court of making a false statement under oath.

The court found he had lied in affidavits used to secure relaxed bail conditions in other court matters that dated back to 2017.

Mehajer falsely claimed he needed to be on bail to fulfil his job as a building manager, a position the court was told he never held.

Salim Mehajer arriving at Downing Centre Court in Sydney in November. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

He had pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his barrister claiming his behaviour may have been influenced by mental health issues, including bipolar.

However, NSW District Court Judge Peter Zahra said Mehajer’s behaviour was carefully planned and he showed detailed knowledge of the legal system as he prepared false affidavits and made false claims under cross-examination.

The judge said Mehajer lied so he could be at liberty to “claw back” his business interests, including a property he was in danger of losing control over as liquidators moved in.

The judge said the Lidcombe man’s claims were not haphazard and showed “he has a total disregard for the courts and believes they can be manipulated for his own purposes at any time”.

The former Auburn mayor will be eligible for parole on January 18, 2023. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

A psychological report tendered as evidence in court suggested Mehajer may have been experiencing “grandiose” ideas about himself due to his bipolar at the time of the offences.

The crown prosecutor said although Mehajer’s mental health battles may be true, his actions struck at the “bases of our system of justice” and warranted stern punishment.

“The conduct of the offender could not be portrayed as impulsive,” he said.

“They were carefully planned, they were elaborate and detailed. And they were persistently dishonest.

“He knew what he was saying was completely false.”

A sentence hearing in March heard as Mehajer had been confined to a cell in Sydney’s Long Bail jail for 23 hours a day awaiting sentencing, and had been separated from other inmates because of his “public notoriety”.

Mehajer still faces separate charges in other matters.