Alleged drug smuggler Rohan Arnold remains on boards governing Mortlake saleyards

ACCUSED drug smuggler Rohan Arnold remains a director and major shareholder in companies running the Mortlake and Yass saleyards almost a year after he was arrested in Serbia.

Happier times: Brendan Abbey and Rohan Arnold, at the Yass saleyards in August 2016. Picture: Kym Smith

ACCUSED drug smuggler Rohan Arnold remains a director and major shareholder in companies running the Mortlake and Yass saleyards almost a year after he was arrested in Serbia.

That was despite undertakings from Mr Arnold’s co-directors to remove him from the boards of SELX Pty Ltd, WVLX Operations Pty Ltd and SELX Operations Pty Ltd the week after he was arrested in Belgrade in January for his alleged part in a huge cocaine importation operation.

SELX Pty Ltd owns the Mortlake and Yass livestock saleyards, while WVLX Operations Pty Ltd and SELX Operations Pty Ltd are their respective operating companies.

Mr Arnold, pictured above, is the major shareholder in all three companies, with a 44.9 per cent share in each.

He remains in custody awaiting court hearings over the alleged importation of 1.28 tonnes of cocaine smuggled in hollow prefabricated steel sent from China.

SELX director and Yass Valley Mayor Rowena Abbey said in January she and other directors would seek to remove Mr Arnold as a director of SELX.

Her husband, Brendan Abbey, said this week SELX and WVLX were still working towards removing Mr Arnold as a director and from the business.

“This is a legal process and takes time to complete,” Mr Abbey said.

“Mr Arnold has had nothing to do with the running of SELX or WVLX since last January.”

The Abbeys were also in business with Mr Arnold on 28.9ha of industrial land at Yass through a company called Yass Industrial Park Pty Ltd established on October 26, 2015.

The company had Yass Valley Council approval to build a service station and restaurant on 3.8ha of land off the Hume Highway but construction had yet to begin. An industrial estate was planned for the remainder of the land.

Documents seen by The Weekly Times show Yass Industrial Park Pty Ltd bought the 28.9ha in November, 2015, for $1.65 million.

Mr Arnold and Mr Abbey were co-directors of Yass Industrial Park.

Mr Abbey owned a 50 per cent share in the company, while the other half was owned by Mr Arnold through his solely owned holding company Pyrtee Pty Ltd.

On November 8 this year, Pyrtee sold its half share in Yass Industrial Park to Mr Abbey and Mr Arnold was replaced as a director by Ms Abbey. The service station allotment was being offered by an agent representing Mr Abbey in recent weeks for $5 million.

Quizzed by The Weekly Times why Mr Arnold was removed as a director and owner of Yass Industrial Park but not SELX, SELX Operations and WVLX Operations, Mr Abbey said: “Yass Industrial Park has nothing to do with SELX or WVLX.”

He would not comment on what was Yass Industrial Park’s prime asset nor what Mr Arnold was paid for relinquishing his share in the company.