Pineapple Funding CEO Andrew Spira charged with making a fake foreign passport

The founder of a successful loan broker business and relative of a media mogul allegedly attempted to use a fake passport and false name to travel overseas for a major business deal.

Andrew Spira. Picture: John Appleyard

A successful Sydney entrepreneur and relative of media mogul Ita Buttrose allegedly attempted to use a fake British passport and false name to travel overseas for a business deal after he became “deluded” into thinking an airline was “out to get him”, a court has heard.

Andrew Spira, 24, was granted bail in Sutherland Local Court to attend an eastern suburbs mental health clinic after he was charged with making a false foreign travel document with intent to use it and using false identity information to obtain an air ticket for a constitutional flight.

Spira, who lives in Bondi Beach, is the son of socialite Lizzie Buttrose – the niece of Ita Buttrose – and is the founder and chief of mega business loan broker Pineapple Funding.

The court heard Spira and his partner went to Sydney Airport on May 6 where he purchased a ticket with Cathay Airlines to Hong Kong, before he allegedly produced a United Kingdom passport under a different name but with his photo.

Police allege his genuine passport was in his partner’s bag. She has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Andrew Spira, is son of Lizzie Buttrose, and CEO of loan broking business Pineapple Funding. Picture: Facebook

An Australian Border Force official noted an “irregularity” in the passport and discovered there was no log of the passport being used to enter the country, the court heard.

Australian Federal Police officers started investigating and noticed the watermark on the alleged fake passport was too large and the page numbers were inconsistent.

Officers allegedly found a UK driver’s licence and a bank card under the same fake name in Spira’s wallet.

Spira allegedly told officers he had created a fraudulent British passport, the court heard.

He told officers he did not feel well due to drug withdrawal and was taken to hospital.

Defence lawyer Pawel Kulisiewicz said Spira found himself in “extraordinarily bizarre circumstances”.

Andrew Spira was stopped by Australian Border Force officials before Australian Federal Police started investigating his passport. Picture: John Appleyard

Mr Kulisiewicz told the court Spira was on bail for an unrelated matter and was allowed to legally leave the jurisdiction to go on a business trip to Dubai to raise venture capital for his business Pineapple Funding after he successfully varied his bail conditions.

Mr Kulisiewicz told the court his client had a flight booked to Dubai under his name to leave on May 5 but when he arrived at the airport, he was told by Qantas staff he had been double booked which resulted in him having a “mental health breakdown”.

“In his mind, he formed the belief the airline was conspiring against him and were preventing his plans to go to Dubai,” Mr Kulisiewicz said. “He had a delusional belief and he made a poor decision.

“If my client wanted to abscond from the jurisdiction then he would not have come to court to vary his bail. He could have gone to the airport with the passport and left. He got his bail varied to leave legally.”

Mr Kulisiewicz conceded the prosecution case was “overwhelming” but submitted Spira was unlikely to be sentenced to full time custody if convicted.

Andrew Spira will reappear in court next month. Picture: John Appleyard

The court heard Spira had long standing mental health issues and had been seeing a psychologist, psychiatrist and addiction specialist for alcohol and substance abuse disorders.

Mr Kulisiewicz confirmed his client had secured a bed in a secure facility called Sydney Clinic for mental health treatment.

The court heard Spira was the managing director of Pineapple Funding which employed 21 people, and Mr Kulisiewicz noted his client needed to be at liberty to settle on a property next week and to attend to his company being listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Magistrate Philip Stewart said “concerningly” Spira appeared to have been able to make or procure the passport in a day and it was unclear from his flight documents if he was travelling to Hong Kong or onto Dubai.

Mr Stewart granted Spira bail, noting his age, lack of criminal history and place in the clinic.

Spira must reside at the clinic, cannot go within 500m of a point of departure, not apply for a new passport, not drink alcohol or take illegal drugs and a $200,000 surety had to be deposited.

The case was adjourned to June 6.

Originally published as Pineapple Funding CEO Andrew Spira charged with making a fake foreign passport