Latest news with #Centrelink
The Advertiser
4 hours ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Doubts after 'unprecedented' arrests over luxury fakes
Three men accused of running a multimillion-dollar fake luxury goods empire have been bailed after a lawyer's extraordinary claim governments may be complicit by receiving tax on their sales. Brothers Ahmad Kase Siddiqi, 30, and Ahmad Jawade Siddiqi, 33, as well as Shadi Skaf, 30, have been charged over the sale of everything from counterfeit Rolex watches to Cartier bracelets and Louis Vuitton bags. When police raided their homes on Wednesday, they seized high-end cars including a Mercedes AMG and Lamborghinis. But as a bail hearing resumed on Friday the trio's lawyers maintained it was unclear what crime the accused men had committed. The federal government might be "aiding and abetting" or "conspiring" with the men by taking their income tax, Jawade Siddiqi's barrister Steven Boland alleged. While police have said the scheme netted about $9.75 million in profits, that figure came from bank records stretching back to 2017. Court documents indicate the alleged offences - which include dealing with the proceeds of crime - only took place from 2022. There had also been no concealment of business activity, lawyers argued. Mr Boland told Parramatta Local Court the decision to charge his client was "unprecedented" because police did not make more of an effort to shut down counterfeit sales at markets. "If it's really criminal to import these items, to sell them and to knowingly import these items, you shouldn't be able to walk into a market ... and buy them," he told the court. "There's no government information to that effect, just a suburban police station laying a charge." There were no allegations of fraud, but a breach of intellectual property made by police, rather than brand owners, Mr Boland argued. "It's not clear the brand owners even know or care," he said. Describing the strength of the prosecution case as "moderate", Magistrate Emma Manea bailed the trio on strict conditions. She found issues surrounding the date range of the alleged offending, along with what type of offence underpinned their dealing with proceeds of crime charges. Bail conditions included paying a $50,000 surety, reporting to a police station twice a day, not using social media and not associating with one another. During their raids earlier this week, officers confiscated a cache of more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, such as handbags, sneakers and watches - all imported from China - across three sites. More than $250,000 in cash and a gel blaster firearm were also seized. Fake watches of "extremely good quality" that resembled genuine articles worth more than $20,000 were sold to customers for $800 apiece, police said. Police allege more than one of the trio was receiving Centrelink payments while benefiting from the proceeds of their crimes. The allegedly tainted assets were now under the control of the NSW Crime Commission, its executive director said. Three men accused of running a multimillion-dollar fake luxury goods empire have been bailed after a lawyer's extraordinary claim governments may be complicit by receiving tax on their sales. Brothers Ahmad Kase Siddiqi, 30, and Ahmad Jawade Siddiqi, 33, as well as Shadi Skaf, 30, have been charged over the sale of everything from counterfeit Rolex watches to Cartier bracelets and Louis Vuitton bags. When police raided their homes on Wednesday, they seized high-end cars including a Mercedes AMG and Lamborghinis. But as a bail hearing resumed on Friday the trio's lawyers maintained it was unclear what crime the accused men had committed. The federal government might be "aiding and abetting" or "conspiring" with the men by taking their income tax, Jawade Siddiqi's barrister Steven Boland alleged. While police have said the scheme netted about $9.75 million in profits, that figure came from bank records stretching back to 2017. Court documents indicate the alleged offences - which include dealing with the proceeds of crime - only took place from 2022. There had also been no concealment of business activity, lawyers argued. Mr Boland told Parramatta Local Court the decision to charge his client was "unprecedented" because police did not make more of an effort to shut down counterfeit sales at markets. "If it's really criminal to import these items, to sell them and to knowingly import these items, you shouldn't be able to walk into a market ... and buy them," he told the court. "There's no government information to that effect, just a suburban police station laying a charge." There were no allegations of fraud, but a breach of intellectual property made by police, rather than brand owners, Mr Boland argued. "It's not clear the brand owners even know or care," he said. Describing the strength of the prosecution case as "moderate", Magistrate Emma Manea bailed the trio on strict conditions. She found issues surrounding the date range of the alleged offending, along with what type of offence underpinned their dealing with proceeds of crime charges. Bail conditions included paying a $50,000 surety, reporting to a police station twice a day, not using social media and not associating with one another. During their raids earlier this week, officers confiscated a cache of more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, such as handbags, sneakers and watches - all imported from China - across three sites. More than $250,000 in cash and a gel blaster firearm were also seized. Fake watches of "extremely good quality" that resembled genuine articles worth more than $20,000 were sold to customers for $800 apiece, police said. Police allege more than one of the trio was receiving Centrelink payments while benefiting from the proceeds of their crimes. The allegedly tainted assets were now under the control of the NSW Crime Commission, its executive director said. Three men accused of running a multimillion-dollar fake luxury goods empire have been bailed after a lawyer's extraordinary claim governments may be complicit by receiving tax on their sales. Brothers Ahmad Kase Siddiqi, 30, and Ahmad Jawade Siddiqi, 33, as well as Shadi Skaf, 30, have been charged over the sale of everything from counterfeit Rolex watches to Cartier bracelets and Louis Vuitton bags. When police raided their homes on Wednesday, they seized high-end cars including a Mercedes AMG and Lamborghinis. But as a bail hearing resumed on Friday the trio's lawyers maintained it was unclear what crime the accused men had committed. The federal government might be "aiding and abetting" or "conspiring" with the men by taking their income tax, Jawade Siddiqi's barrister Steven Boland alleged. While police have said the scheme netted about $9.75 million in profits, that figure came from bank records stretching back to 2017. Court documents indicate the alleged offences - which include dealing with the proceeds of crime - only took place from 2022. There had also been no concealment of business activity, lawyers argued. Mr Boland told Parramatta Local Court the decision to charge his client was "unprecedented" because police did not make more of an effort to shut down counterfeit sales at markets. "If it's really criminal to import these items, to sell them and to knowingly import these items, you shouldn't be able to walk into a market ... and buy them," he told the court. "There's no government information to that effect, just a suburban police station laying a charge." There were no allegations of fraud, but a breach of intellectual property made by police, rather than brand owners, Mr Boland argued. "It's not clear the brand owners even know or care," he said. Describing the strength of the prosecution case as "moderate", Magistrate Emma Manea bailed the trio on strict conditions. She found issues surrounding the date range of the alleged offending, along with what type of offence underpinned their dealing with proceeds of crime charges. Bail conditions included paying a $50,000 surety, reporting to a police station twice a day, not using social media and not associating with one another. During their raids earlier this week, officers confiscated a cache of more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, such as handbags, sneakers and watches - all imported from China - across three sites. More than $250,000 in cash and a gel blaster firearm were also seized. Fake watches of "extremely good quality" that resembled genuine articles worth more than $20,000 were sold to customers for $800 apiece, police said. Police allege more than one of the trio was receiving Centrelink payments while benefiting from the proceeds of their crimes. The allegedly tainted assets were now under the control of the NSW Crime Commission, its executive director said. Three men accused of running a multimillion-dollar fake luxury goods empire have been bailed after a lawyer's extraordinary claim governments may be complicit by receiving tax on their sales. Brothers Ahmad Kase Siddiqi, 30, and Ahmad Jawade Siddiqi, 33, as well as Shadi Skaf, 30, have been charged over the sale of everything from counterfeit Rolex watches to Cartier bracelets and Louis Vuitton bags. When police raided their homes on Wednesday, they seized high-end cars including a Mercedes AMG and Lamborghinis. But as a bail hearing resumed on Friday the trio's lawyers maintained it was unclear what crime the accused men had committed. The federal government might be "aiding and abetting" or "conspiring" with the men by taking their income tax, Jawade Siddiqi's barrister Steven Boland alleged. While police have said the scheme netted about $9.75 million in profits, that figure came from bank records stretching back to 2017. Court documents indicate the alleged offences - which include dealing with the proceeds of crime - only took place from 2022. There had also been no concealment of business activity, lawyers argued. Mr Boland told Parramatta Local Court the decision to charge his client was "unprecedented" because police did not make more of an effort to shut down counterfeit sales at markets. "If it's really criminal to import these items, to sell them and to knowingly import these items, you shouldn't be able to walk into a market ... and buy them," he told the court. "There's no government information to that effect, just a suburban police station laying a charge." There were no allegations of fraud, but a breach of intellectual property made by police, rather than brand owners, Mr Boland argued. "It's not clear the brand owners even know or care," he said. Describing the strength of the prosecution case as "moderate", Magistrate Emma Manea bailed the trio on strict conditions. She found issues surrounding the date range of the alleged offending, along with what type of offence underpinned their dealing with proceeds of crime charges. Bail conditions included paying a $50,000 surety, reporting to a police station twice a day, not using social media and not associating with one another. During their raids earlier this week, officers confiscated a cache of more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, such as handbags, sneakers and watches - all imported from China - across three sites. More than $250,000 in cash and a gel blaster firearm were also seized. Fake watches of "extremely good quality" that resembled genuine articles worth more than $20,000 were sold to customers for $800 apiece, police said. Police allege more than one of the trio was receiving Centrelink payments while benefiting from the proceeds of their crimes. The allegedly tainted assets were now under the control of the NSW Crime Commission, its executive director said.
Perth Now
7 hours ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Doubts after 'unprecedented' arrests over luxury fakes
Three men accused of running a multimillion-dollar fake luxury goods empire have been bailed after a lawyer's extraordinary claim governments may be complicit by receiving tax on their sales. Brothers Ahmad Kase Siddiqi, 30, and Ahmad Jawade Siddiqi, 33, as well as Shadi Skaf, 30, have been charged over the sale of everything from counterfeit Rolex watches to Cartier bracelets and Louis Vuitton bags. When police raided their homes on Wednesday, they seized high-end cars including a Mercedes AMG and Lamborghinis. But as a bail hearing resumed on Friday the trio's lawyers maintained it was unclear what crime the accused men had committed. The federal government might be "aiding and abetting" or "conspiring" with the men by taking their income tax, Jawade Siddiqi's barrister Steven Boland alleged. While police have said the scheme netted about $9.75 million in profits, that figure came from bank records stretching back to 2017. Court documents indicate the alleged offences - which include dealing with the proceeds of crime - only took place from 2022. There had also been no concealment of business activity, lawyers argued. Mr Boland told Parramatta Local Court the decision to charge his client was "unprecedented" because police did not make more of an effort to shut down counterfeit sales at markets. "If it's really criminal to import these items, to sell them and to knowingly import these items, you shouldn't be able to walk into a market ... and buy them," he told the court. "There's no government information to that effect, just a suburban police station laying a charge." There were no allegations of fraud, but a breach of intellectual property made by police, rather than brand owners, Mr Boland argued. "It's not clear the brand owners even know or care," he said. Describing the strength of the prosecution case as "moderate", Magistrate Emma Manea bailed the trio on strict conditions. She found issues surrounding the date range of the alleged offending, along with what type of offence underpinned their dealing with proceeds of crime charges. Bail conditions included paying a $50,000 surety, reporting to a police station twice a day, not using social media and not associating with one another. During their raids earlier this week, officers confiscated a cache of more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, such as handbags, sneakers and watches - all imported from China - across three sites. More than $250,000 in cash and a gel blaster firearm were also seized. Fake watches of "extremely good quality" that resembled genuine articles worth more than $20,000 were sold to customers for $800 apiece, police said. Police allege more than one of the trio was receiving Centrelink payments while benefiting from the proceeds of their crimes. The allegedly tainted assets were now under the control of the NSW Crime Commission, its executive director said.
West Australian
7 hours ago
- Business
- West Australian
Doubts after 'unprecedented' arrests over luxury fakes
Three men accused of running a multimillion-dollar fake luxury goods empire have been bailed after a lawyer's extraordinary claim governments may be complicit by receiving tax on their sales. Brothers Ahmad Kase Siddiqi, 30, and Ahmad Jawade Siddiqi, 33, as well as Shadi Skaf, 30, have been charged over the sale of everything from counterfeit Rolex watches to Cartier bracelets and Louis Vuitton bags. When police raided their homes on Wednesday, they seized high-end cars including a Mercedes AMG and Lamborghinis. But as a bail hearing resumed on Friday the trio's lawyers maintained it was unclear what crime the accused men had committed. The federal government might be "aiding and abetting" or "conspiring" with the men by taking their income tax, Jawade Siddiqi's barrister Steven Boland alleged. While police have said the scheme netted about $9.75 million in profits, that figure came from bank records stretching back to 2017. Court documents indicate the alleged offences - which include dealing with the proceeds of crime - only took place from 2022. There had also been no concealment of business activity, lawyers argued. Mr Boland told Parramatta Local Court the decision to charge his client was "unprecedented" because police did not make more of an effort to shut down counterfeit sales at markets. "If it's really criminal to import these items, to sell them and to knowingly import these items, you shouldn't be able to walk into a market ... and buy them," he told the court. "There's no government information to that effect, just a suburban police station laying a charge." There were no allegations of fraud, but a breach of intellectual property made by police, rather than brand owners, Mr Boland argued. "It's not clear the brand owners even know or care," he said. Describing the strength of the prosecution case as "moderate", Magistrate Emma Manea bailed the trio on strict conditions. She found issues surrounding the date range of the alleged offending, along with what type of offence underpinned their dealing with proceeds of crime charges. Bail conditions included paying a $50,000 surety, reporting to a police station twice a day, not using social media and not associating with one another. During their raids earlier this week, officers confiscated a cache of more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, such as handbags, sneakers and watches - all imported from China - across three sites. More than $250,000 in cash and a gel blaster firearm were also seized. Fake watches of "extremely good quality" that resembled genuine articles worth more than $20,000 were sold to customers for $800 apiece, police said. Police allege more than one of the trio was receiving Centrelink payments while benefiting from the proceeds of their crimes. The allegedly tainted assets were now under the control of the NSW Crime Commission, its executive director said.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
$3,000 superannuation boost coming for Aussies from July 1: 'Huge difference'
Superannuation will soon be paid on the government's parental leave payments. The change means Aussies could receive nearly $3,000 extra into their retirement fund, which could make a 'huge difference' over time. Parents with babies born or adopted after July 1 will receive the additional superannuation payment when they receive paid parental leave. This will be 12 per cent of their payment, in line with the super guarantee rate increase. UniSuper senior private client adviser Melinda Brown told Yahoo Finance the changes also coincided with paid parental leave increasing from 22 to 24 weeks. It will increase again on July 1, 2026, up to 26 weeks. RELATED Devastating superannuation tax reality hitting 50,000 Australians in growing trend Centrelink age pension changes coming into effect from July 1 $1,000 ATO school fees tax deduction that Aussies don't realise they can claim 'At the minimum wage and with the super contribution of 12 per cent, that's nearly $3,000 that's going to be put into their superannuation,' she said. 'Compounding over a number of years, it is going to make a huge difference. Especially as we know that women generally retire with 25 per cent less in superannuation than men.' Paid parental leave is based on the minimum wage, which will increase by 3.5 per cent to $24.95 per hour, or $948 per week, on July 1. The move is expected to improve the retirement balances of around 180,000 Australian families each year. In Australia, WGEA data found 68 per cent of employers offer access to paid parental leave on top of the government scheme. The majority (87 per cent) who offer paid parental leave also pay superannuation for parents while they are on leave. For workers who don't, Brown said it can be worth asking your employer if they will pay super during your leave. 'The more an employer is asked this question, the more they may decide to think about actually paying super on parental leave,' she said. If you are eligible for parental leave pay, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will pay a super contribution directly to your super fund. This is called the Paid Parental Leave Superannuation Contribution (PPLSC). If you share your parental leave, each parent will get the super contribution based on how many days they use. It will be paid automatically after the relevant financial year ends, starting from July, 2026. Brown said it was important for parents to take proactive steps to prepare their super before they go on parental leave. That includes checking your insurance, as inactive super accounts may lose cover unless you elect to keep it. 'That can happen if it's been over 16 months since you've had a contribution,' Brown told Yahoo Finance. 'So you can actually ask your super fund. There's usually a form where you can just elect to ensure that you do keep that cover.' It can also be worth considering voluntary contributions before or during your leave to help grow your super, or spouse contributions or splitting. 'At the end of each financial year, you can split the super contributions received from the employer so your concessional contributions, you can split to your spouse if you wish,' Brown said. "It's up to 85 per cent of the concessional contributions. So they do allow for the 15 per cent contribution tax, and it's also limited to the concessional cap.' If you have multiple super accounts, it could also be worth consolidating them to save on fees. You can get this through myGov. It may also be worth considering your investment mix and getting financial advice tailored to your circumstances. 'A lot of super funds these days do provide limited advice at no extra cost to you. So it can be a really good time to have a chat to your super fund about what services they can help you with,' Brown pour accéder à votre portefeuille
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
What's the crime, say accused $10m fake merch dealers
A trio of men accused of running a $10 million fake luxury goods empire at the same time as some received Centrelink benefits have questioned why they're being thrown in jail. Police raided the Sydney homes of brothers Ahmad Kase Siddiqi, 30, and Ahmad Jawade Siddiqi, 33, as well as Shadi Skaf, 30, on Wednesday, over the sale of everything from counterfeit Rolex watches to Cartier bracelets and Louis Vuitton bags. Officers seized nine cars including several Lamborghinis and a Mercedes AMG worth a combined value of about $3 million in the busts. The trio appeared at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday, when they applied for bail. While each man had been hit with a number of charges, including dealing with the proceeds of crime, police had been unable to say what crime was actually committed, their lawyer said. "The question is what is the relevant offence," said barrister Philip Strickland SC, representing Skaf and Kase Siddiqi. The mere import and selling of goods was not a crime, while a jail term was unlikely if anyone was only found guilty of breaching trademark laws, he said. Jawade Siddiqi's barrister Steven Boland argued the case was unlike other alleged offenders charged with earning money from activities such as drug trafficking. There was "nothing surreptitious" about what the 33-year-old had done and there had been no concealment of any business activity, he said. Outside court, Jawade Siddiqi's solicitor Chaddy Mardini declined to comment on the matter apart from saying it was "not a garden-variety" case. Police prosecutors pressed for the trio to remain behind bars, pointing to a strong case that involved large amounts of funds being transferred into the personal bank accounts of the three men. There was a risk the men would not appear in court and could flee the country as they had access to sizeable sums of money, magistrate Emma Manea was told. While police said the scheme netted about $9.75 million in profits, the figure came from bank records stretching back to 2017. Court documents said the alleged offences only took place from 2022. Ms Manea will hand down her bail decision on Friday. Organised Crime Squad commander Peter Faux revealed earlier on Thursday that a delivery van "full of fake goods" pulled up as police were executing a search warrant in the case. Officers confiscated a cache of more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, such as handbags, sneakers and watches all imported from China, across three sites. More than $250,000 in cash and a gel blaster firearm were also seized. "These three premises looked like a department store when you went inside of them, with all the goods that were set up," Detective Superintendent Faux said. "It was a very professional outfit." Fake watches of "extremely good quality" that resembled genuine articles worth more than $20,000 were sold to customers for $800 apiece, police said. Police allege more than one of the trio was receiving Centrelink payments while benefiting from the proceeds of their crimes. "They're living an extremely luxurious lifestyle, they're flaunting that lifestyle, they're driving up and down their streets in cars worth in excess of a million (dollars)," Det Supt Faux said. The allegedly tainted assets were now under the control of the NSW Crime Commission, its executive director said. A trio of men accused of running a $10 million fake luxury goods empire at the same time as some received Centrelink benefits have questioned why they're being thrown in jail. Police raided the Sydney homes of brothers Ahmad Kase Siddiqi, 30, and Ahmad Jawade Siddiqi, 33, as well as Shadi Skaf, 30, on Wednesday, over the sale of everything from counterfeit Rolex watches to Cartier bracelets and Louis Vuitton bags. Officers seized nine cars including several Lamborghinis and a Mercedes AMG worth a combined value of about $3 million in the busts. The trio appeared at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday, when they applied for bail. While each man had been hit with a number of charges, including dealing with the proceeds of crime, police had been unable to say what crime was actually committed, their lawyer said. "The question is what is the relevant offence," said barrister Philip Strickland SC, representing Skaf and Kase Siddiqi. The mere import and selling of goods was not a crime, while a jail term was unlikely if anyone was only found guilty of breaching trademark laws, he said. Jawade Siddiqi's barrister Steven Boland argued the case was unlike other alleged offenders charged with earning money from activities such as drug trafficking. There was "nothing surreptitious" about what the 33-year-old had done and there had been no concealment of any business activity, he said. Outside court, Jawade Siddiqi's solicitor Chaddy Mardini declined to comment on the matter apart from saying it was "not a garden-variety" case. Police prosecutors pressed for the trio to remain behind bars, pointing to a strong case that involved large amounts of funds being transferred into the personal bank accounts of the three men. There was a risk the men would not appear in court and could flee the country as they had access to sizeable sums of money, magistrate Emma Manea was told. While police said the scheme netted about $9.75 million in profits, the figure came from bank records stretching back to 2017. Court documents said the alleged offences only took place from 2022. Ms Manea will hand down her bail decision on Friday. Organised Crime Squad commander Peter Faux revealed earlier on Thursday that a delivery van "full of fake goods" pulled up as police were executing a search warrant in the case. Officers confiscated a cache of more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, such as handbags, sneakers and watches all imported from China, across three sites. More than $250,000 in cash and a gel blaster firearm were also seized. "These three premises looked like a department store when you went inside of them, with all the goods that were set up," Detective Superintendent Faux said. "It was a very professional outfit." Fake watches of "extremely good quality" that resembled genuine articles worth more than $20,000 were sold to customers for $800 apiece, police said. Police allege more than one of the trio was receiving Centrelink payments while benefiting from the proceeds of their crimes. "They're living an extremely luxurious lifestyle, they're flaunting that lifestyle, they're driving up and down their streets in cars worth in excess of a million (dollars)," Det Supt Faux said. The allegedly tainted assets were now under the control of the NSW Crime Commission, its executive director said. A trio of men accused of running a $10 million fake luxury goods empire at the same time as some received Centrelink benefits have questioned why they're being thrown in jail. Police raided the Sydney homes of brothers Ahmad Kase Siddiqi, 30, and Ahmad Jawade Siddiqi, 33, as well as Shadi Skaf, 30, on Wednesday, over the sale of everything from counterfeit Rolex watches to Cartier bracelets and Louis Vuitton bags. Officers seized nine cars including several Lamborghinis and a Mercedes AMG worth a combined value of about $3 million in the busts. The trio appeared at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday, when they applied for bail. While each man had been hit with a number of charges, including dealing with the proceeds of crime, police had been unable to say what crime was actually committed, their lawyer said. "The question is what is the relevant offence," said barrister Philip Strickland SC, representing Skaf and Kase Siddiqi. The mere import and selling of goods was not a crime, while a jail term was unlikely if anyone was only found guilty of breaching trademark laws, he said. Jawade Siddiqi's barrister Steven Boland argued the case was unlike other alleged offenders charged with earning money from activities such as drug trafficking. There was "nothing surreptitious" about what the 33-year-old had done and there had been no concealment of any business activity, he said. Outside court, Jawade Siddiqi's solicitor Chaddy Mardini declined to comment on the matter apart from saying it was "not a garden-variety" case. Police prosecutors pressed for the trio to remain behind bars, pointing to a strong case that involved large amounts of funds being transferred into the personal bank accounts of the three men. There was a risk the men would not appear in court and could flee the country as they had access to sizeable sums of money, magistrate Emma Manea was told. While police said the scheme netted about $9.75 million in profits, the figure came from bank records stretching back to 2017. Court documents said the alleged offences only took place from 2022. Ms Manea will hand down her bail decision on Friday. Organised Crime Squad commander Peter Faux revealed earlier on Thursday that a delivery van "full of fake goods" pulled up as police were executing a search warrant in the case. Officers confiscated a cache of more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, such as handbags, sneakers and watches all imported from China, across three sites. More than $250,000 in cash and a gel blaster firearm were also seized. "These three premises looked like a department store when you went inside of them, with all the goods that were set up," Detective Superintendent Faux said. "It was a very professional outfit." Fake watches of "extremely good quality" that resembled genuine articles worth more than $20,000 were sold to customers for $800 apiece, police said. Police allege more than one of the trio was receiving Centrelink payments while benefiting from the proceeds of their crimes. "They're living an extremely luxurious lifestyle, they're flaunting that lifestyle, they're driving up and down their streets in cars worth in excess of a million (dollars)," Det Supt Faux said. The allegedly tainted assets were now under the control of the NSW Crime Commission, its executive director said. A trio of men accused of running a $10 million fake luxury goods empire at the same time as some received Centrelink benefits have questioned why they're being thrown in jail. Police raided the Sydney homes of brothers Ahmad Kase Siddiqi, 30, and Ahmad Jawade Siddiqi, 33, as well as Shadi Skaf, 30, on Wednesday, over the sale of everything from counterfeit Rolex watches to Cartier bracelets and Louis Vuitton bags. Officers seized nine cars including several Lamborghinis and a Mercedes AMG worth a combined value of about $3 million in the busts. The trio appeared at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday, when they applied for bail. While each man had been hit with a number of charges, including dealing with the proceeds of crime, police had been unable to say what crime was actually committed, their lawyer said. "The question is what is the relevant offence," said barrister Philip Strickland SC, representing Skaf and Kase Siddiqi. The mere import and selling of goods was not a crime, while a jail term was unlikely if anyone was only found guilty of breaching trademark laws, he said. Jawade Siddiqi's barrister Steven Boland argued the case was unlike other alleged offenders charged with earning money from activities such as drug trafficking. There was "nothing surreptitious" about what the 33-year-old had done and there had been no concealment of any business activity, he said. Outside court, Jawade Siddiqi's solicitor Chaddy Mardini declined to comment on the matter apart from saying it was "not a garden-variety" case. Police prosecutors pressed for the trio to remain behind bars, pointing to a strong case that involved large amounts of funds being transferred into the personal bank accounts of the three men. There was a risk the men would not appear in court and could flee the country as they had access to sizeable sums of money, magistrate Emma Manea was told. While police said the scheme netted about $9.75 million in profits, the figure came from bank records stretching back to 2017. Court documents said the alleged offences only took place from 2022. Ms Manea will hand down her bail decision on Friday. Organised Crime Squad commander Peter Faux revealed earlier on Thursday that a delivery van "full of fake goods" pulled up as police were executing a search warrant in the case. Officers confiscated a cache of more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, such as handbags, sneakers and watches all imported from China, across three sites. More than $250,000 in cash and a gel blaster firearm were also seized. "These three premises looked like a department store when you went inside of them, with all the goods that were set up," Detective Superintendent Faux said. "It was a very professional outfit." Fake watches of "extremely good quality" that resembled genuine articles worth more than $20,000 were sold to customers for $800 apiece, police said. Police allege more than one of the trio was receiving Centrelink payments while benefiting from the proceeds of their crimes. "They're living an extremely luxurious lifestyle, they're flaunting that lifestyle, they're driving up and down their streets in cars worth in excess of a million (dollars)," Det Supt Faux said. The allegedly tainted assets were now under the control of the NSW Crime Commission, its executive director said.
