Construction industry identity George Alex, his son Arthur and the wife of jailed drug kingpin Michael Ibrahim are allegedly among members of a major crime syndicate who have been arrested over their involvement in tax fraud and money laundering.
In raids across Sydney and the Gold Coast on Tuesday morning, police arrested a number of people following a joint investigation by a combined task force of the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Tax Office and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
George Alex arriving at Southport Courthouse after his arrest on the Gold Coast.Credit:SMH News
Mr Alex, 49, has been an undischarged bankrupt since 2011. Despite this, evidence was given at the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption in 2015 that Alex controlled a number of labour-hire companies which were paying money to the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union for favourable construction deals.
Both Mr Alex and his son Arthur, 22, were arrested at a leased waterfront home in Surfers Paradise in Queensland early Tuesday morning.
With views across the Nerang River, the luxury property boasts five bedrooms, four bathrooms, an indoor spa, a pool and a small 10-seater theatre. A real estate listing indicates the property was leased in December 2018 for $1600 a week.
AFP officers from the canine unit enter a property in Earlwood owned by Arthur Alex.Credit:Kate Geraghty
Meanwhile, police were executing a search warrant at the Alex family home in Larkhall Avenue, Earlwood, in Sydney's inner west. A 2011 Porsche Cayenne was seized at the house.
Police also raided a house in Thompson Street, Earlwood, which was purchased in 2018 for $2.35 million by then 20-year-old Arthur Alex.
Make-up artiste Caitlin Hall, 30 was arrested at her Greystanes home.
She is the wife of jailed underworld figure Michael Ibrahim, who is currently serving a 30-year sentence for conspiring to import more than 1.7 tonnes of MDMA, 136 kilograms of cocaine and 15 kilograms of methylamphetamine.
The trio, along with other alleged syndicate members, are expected to appear in courts in Sydney and the Gold Coast at a later time.
Caitlin Hall with Michael Ibrahim.Credit:Facebook
Mr Alex is the son of Greek immigrants and worked as a labourer as a young man. He controls companies that have supplied contract labour to construction sites including Barangaroo.
In 2015 he told the royal commission of his many years working as a labourer, during which he built relationships with “good, top-tier clients.”
Arthur Alex was arrested on the Gold Coast with his father George.Credit:Facebook
“That's how I was able to get into the labour-hire business,” he said at the time.
The commission then heard suspicions that Alex used such businesses for “phoenix” activity.
“Phoenixing” takes place when a company collapses in debt and its assets are shifted to another new firm, to avoid paying outstanding debts, taxes, creditors and employees.
In 2014 two of Mr Alex’s companies, Active Site Payroll Services and Elite Holdings Group, collapsed only to be quickly replaced by Active Labor Pty Ltd and Elite Access Scaffolding.
Kate McClymont is an investigative journalist at The Sydney Morning Herald.
Lucy Cormack is a crime reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.
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2020-07-21 03:41:00Z
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