News and Media Releases

Japan based shipping company, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha Ltd (NYK), was convicted and fined $25 million today in the Federal Court of Australia. It was the first modern criminal prosecution of cartel conduct in Australia.  The cartel involved collusion in fixing the freight rates and market shares for the international shipping of motor vehicles to Australia.

On 12 February 2016, Mr Jared Brown was convicted by a Victorian County Court jury of two charges of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.  The charges related to the importation of 48kg of pure methamphetamine into Australia.  The methamphetamine was concealed in motor vehicle engines, which were imported into Melbourne from California. 

On 4 December 2015 Mr El Sabsabi appeared before the Victorian Supreme Court in Melbourne where he pleaded guilty to two rolled up charges of doing acts preparatory to incursions into a foreign State, namely Syria, for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities.

Perth accountant, Peter Stamatopoulos, was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of four years on Thursday 22 June in Perth District Court after pleading guilty to dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage of more than $2m. Mr Stamatopoulos lodged fraudulent tax returns on behalf of family members and clients without their consent or knowledge.

Waste management company Cleanaway has been convicted and fined $650,000 over a chemical fire in Adelaide that injured an employee.

Judge Geraldine Davison handed down the penalty in the District Court of South Australia today following an investigation by federal work health and safety regulator Comcare.

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions Townsville office will be closed today (27 March 2017)  given the impending crossing of Tropical Cyclone Debbie in North Queensland tomorrow morning.

Today, two men, Omar Al-Kutobi and Mohammad Kiad were sentenced in the Supreme Court of New South Wales by the Honourable Justice Peter Garling, for conspiring with each other to carry out acts in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act. Al-Kutobi  and Kiad were each sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

Sevdet Besim has today been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for doing acts in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act.  A non-parole period of 7 years and 6 months was fixed.  It was alleged that Mr Besim planned to kill a police officer during Anzac Day commemorations in 2015 and then use the officer’s weapon to commit further acts of violence.

Former banker, 30-year-old Oliver Curtis was today sentenced to two years imprisonment after being found guilty by a Supreme Court jury earlier this month of conspiring to commit insider trading with his former best friend, John Hartman.

Two men have been convicted of serious tax offences following successful investigations under the Serious Financial Crime Taskforce (SFCT).

Members of an international drug syndicate were yesterday sentenced in the Brisbane Supreme Court to lengthy prison sentences for conspiring with each other to import and traffic a commercial quantity of a bordered controlled drug—cocaine.

Iranian national, 39-year-old Mahmood Rajabizadeh was today sentenced to a total effective sentence of 9 years and 6 months imprisonment with a non-parole period of 7 years for possessing a marketable quantity of illicit drugs—heroin and methamphetamine. Rajabizadeh was found guilty to three drug-related offences after a five-day trial between 5 – 9 October 2015.

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