Property Developer Allegedly Wanted Hitman To Kill Trial Witnesses
The Age
Tuesday December 11, 2007
FORMER property developer Steve Spaliviero allegedly pulled a fellow prison inmate aside in April and asked whether he could contact a hitman to kill two witnesses in his pending trial.
The fellow inmate, whose name is suppressed, said he was in Sydney's Silverwater detention centre when Spaliviero, facing serious drug charges, was "getting stressful". He told the inmate that "the people in Melbourne" had been given the job, had been paid $140,000, but had got cold feet. "Steve wanted it done prior to the committal hearing at the end of June 2007," he said. "He said, 'I will be f---ed . . . if I cannot find someone else to take over the job. I heard you know someone called Mad Mick. Would he do it for the right money?" The inmate was giving evidence in committal proceedings against Michael Selim and Dennis Basic, charged with conspiring with Spaliviero and his Swedish model girlfriend, Charlotte Lindstrom, to murder two people. Spaliviero has been described in court as an associate of fugitive drug lord Tony Mokbel.The inmate told Central Local Court in Sydney that he had done jail time with Mad Mick, who was in the "bikie circle" and who moved "in and out of clubs". He had told Spaliviero: "I will see what I can do and I will try to get a message to him through my brother." Instead, he had contacted his solicitor and told him to let the police know that he had some information. Under cross-examination from Basic's counsel, Philip Dunn, QC, the inmate, who agreed he had been a drug trafficker and dealer, said he had done this in the hope of getting a reduction in sentence - a tactic he had employed before. On May 11, he had gone through a "charade", speaking to his brother in a foreign language, with Spaliviero standing next to him, then telling Spaliviero that the hitman had been organised. He had later heard that people in Melbourne had been arrested, including Basic and Lindstrom. Mr Dunn asked: "You yourself have got no idea whether Steve was truthful to you when you spoke about the matter?" The inmate replied: "He was juicing me up saying, 'You help me with these murders and when I get out I will make some money for you in return'." Detective Senior Constable Amanda Hancock of NSW Police told the court a firearm was found in Selim's home. Checks indicated that Spaliviero was in constant touch with Lindstrom by telephone. The Australian Federal Police had given her information on Spaliviero, who had been arrested in relation to importation of precursor chemicals used in making prohibited drugs. She got names of a number of criminal associates of Spaliviero, including Tony Mokbel. Selim had been discovered driving in a silver Fairlane with Victorian number plates, in Bankstown. The inmate had said others were arriving from Melbourne on a certain date. Basic was later seen meeting Lindstrom and had apparently handed Lindstrom money. The hearing continues today.
© 2007 The Age
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