NSW Labor has slammed the Perrottet Government for failing to honour its promise to introduce laws on “unexplained wealth” – which would target the wealth of alleged gang associates and organised crime bosses.
NSW Shadow Minister for Police Walt Secord has been calling for tough unexplained wealth laws to allow the NSW Crimes Commission to seize the assets of those who are suspected of organised crime and are unable to explain why they have expensive “Maseratis, Ferraris, waterside homes and Rolex wristwatches”.
“It is time to reclaim the streets of Sydney from criminal gangs and one of the first steps is to seize their ill-gotten gains.
“The State Government promised to act on unexplained wealth and once again, they are all talk and no action — all we hear are excuses.
“I see no reason why organised crime does not have to explain where they get their wealth — but a law-abiding small business person can expect to be hounded by the tax office.
“We have had at least 13 gang-related homicides in western Sydney. All of this violence is, ultimately, about money and control over drug markets.
“Enough is enough. It is well past time to target these bottom-feeders where it will hurt them the most – and inflict maximum damage on their illegal operations. The Perrottet Government has promised laws on unexplained wealth. Stop making excuses and hit these gangs hard.
“Maseratis, Ferraris, waterside homes and Rolex wristwatches … come on! Why should an unemployed criminal be allowed to flaunt their wealth when we all know how they obtained the wealth?
“It is time the Perrottet Government got serious about criminal gangs in western Sydney. I don’t care if these mongrels kill each other, but I do care, if an innocent bystander gets hurt.”
On May 17, at a State Parliament press conference, NSW Labor leader Chris Minns called on the Perrottet Government to act on unexplained wealth.
Mr Secord was responding to a News Limited report. Rachad Alameddine, Masood Zakaria: Rich alleged gang figures the targets of unexplained wealth laws | Daily Telegraph
“I understand the frustration of hard-working NSW Police and the NSW Crimes Commission; they see organised crime gangs without a legal source of income driving expensive cars and wearing expensive watches flouting the law,” Mr Secord said.
This weekend, it was confirmed that the package was delayed by State cabinet and Attorney-General Mark Speakman. This is despite senior police believing they could have prevented some of the killings in the ongoing gang war.
Since last year a proposal has been before cabinet to give NSW Police the right to seek “unexplained wealth orders” (UWO) against suspected underworld identities.
Last month, after the charging of 18 alleged associates of a crime network, Commissioner Karen Webb told how it would be alleged some of those individuals raked in more than $250,000 a week, despite not having “any obvious forms of employment”.
The laws NSW Police want implemented would allow UWOs to be taken out by courts against individuals who police have proved have “wealth more than the lawfully acquired value of their wealth”.
In short, if an individual had a taxable income of $100,000 but had assets of many millions above that and had no way of explaining how they had legally made that money, police could apply to court for a UWO. After agreeing to grant a UWO, the court would order that individual to pay back the unexplained amount to the state.
Western Australia has the toughest unexplained wealth laws in the country and while NSW Police are keen to emulate them, they also want more power to combat the use of dedicated encrypted devices – the special hi-tech phones used by the underworld. There are similar laws already in place in countries like Colombia, Indonesia, the UK and U.S.
WALT SECORD MLC
SHADOW MINISTER FOR POLICE
