Arabic version: شرطة نيو ساوث ويلز تزعم احتيالاً بقروض في سيدني بقيمة 600 مليون دولار
According to ABC News, NSW Police allege one of Australia’s largest fraud syndicates defrauded banks of more than $600 million through fraudulent loans. Strike Force Myddleton, established by the Financial Crimes Squad, has charged 33 people as its investigation widened from alleged automotive financing fraud to personal, business and home loan fraud.
Police charged three people on Wednesday who allegedly assisted the fraud and money-laundering syndicate: the director of a Bankstown accounting firm and two accountants. A 46-year-old man faces 17 counts of making false documents to obtain financial advantage, relating to alleged fraudulent loans totalling $16.2 million. A 34-year-old man faces another 17 such counts involving $15.6 million. Both were refused bail.
A 28-year-old woman was charged with 17 counts of making false documents to obtain financial advantage, with alleged loans totalling $14.5 million, and was granted conditional bail. The charges followed the arrests a week earlier of two women accused of offences including six counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, allegedly totalling more than $18 million. They were also granted conditional bail.
Detective Superintendent Gordon Arbinja said Australia’s Big Four banks — Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, ANZ and Westpac — issued an estimated $500 million in fraudulent loans, while smaller financial institutions issued an estimated $100 million. The NSW Crime Commission has recovered $95 million in assets to date.
Police allege the syndicate used fake financial documents to support loan applications and bought properties across metropolitan Sydney, particularly in the eastern suburbs. Investigators allege some properties were purchased at highly inflated prices, with vendors returning part of the funds through deeds of rebate not visible to banks. Police expect further arrests and will focus on real estate agents and property developers.
