Salim Mehajer sued for failing to pay cleaner $25,500

Salim Mehajer and his sister gave contradictory evidence over his alleged failure to pay a cleaner $25,500.

Former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer outside court yesterday. Picture: AAP

Salim Mehajer and his sister Fatima Elkiher yesterday gave contradictory evidence over the controversial former Auburn deputy mayor’s alleged failure to pay $25,500 to a cleaner of one of his property ­developments.

The siblings each took the stand in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court yesterday during a legal action brought by Sydney cleaner Anping Yan, who claims Mr Mehajer has failed to pay him for several months’ work.

Mr Yan, who speaks little ­English and was yesterday helped by an interpreter, alleges he had worked as a cleaner for Mr Mehajer for several years but he was not paid for his work from September 2013 to July 2014.

Mr Yan said he had gone to Mr Mehajer’s company office at Sefton in western Sydney, where Mr Mehajer’s manager Ahmad Yaseen gave him a final pay cheque of $25,500. However the cheque bounced.

Mr Mehajer told the court Mr Yan had done work for his since-failed company SM Project ­Developments but he had told Mr Yan his contract had expired in September 2014.

Mr Mehajer told the court any work Mr Yan had done ­subsequently was for companies of which he was not a director and so he was not liable for the debt.

Mr Yan said he had at all times dealt directly with Mr ­Mehajer, who had never made any mention of companies.

“He never mentioned there was any company involved,” Mr Yan told the court.

Asked whether he was told by Mr Mehajer, in September 2013, that his services were no longer required, Mr Yan replied “impossible” and “that never ­happened”.

The legal examination yesterday focused on whether Mr Mehajer was tied to companies which allegedly employed Mr Yan.

His sister Ms Elkiher was sole director of one of those companies, Downtown Project ­Develop­ments.

In an affidavit to the court Ms Elkiher said Mr Mehajer “at no time” represented Downtown Project Developments.

However, under cross examination yesterday Ms Elkiher said she was unsure whether her brother had acted as a representative for the company.

When pressed further, Ms Elkiher said she had been correct in her affidavit, and she had misspoken because she was unwell and suffering from morning ­sickness.

Mr Mehajer, who was requested to sit outside the court while his sister gave evidence, later returned to confirm the claims in his affidavit that he had never acted as a representative of Downtown Project Developments during the relevant ­period.

The latest court developments followed The Australian yesterday revealing that Mr ­Mehajer made a $4.35 million windfall from selling a commercial building the value of which more than doubled after Auburn Council passed highly favourable zoning changes.

Mr Mehajer was involved in the rezoning discussions but failed to tell the council he owned the affected property, at 3 Mary Street Auburn, on three occasions in 2012 and 2013.

In January the NSW Civil Administrative Tribunal suspended him for four months.

That ruling was overturned by the NSW Supreme Court but the entire Auburn Council was sacked in February by the NSW government, which launched a public inquiry into the relationships between councillors and property developers.