Police have frozen assets valued at an estimated $7.8 million dollars linked to three men accused of conspiring to defraud the Australian government.
Abdul El-Debel, 47, Gopalakrishnan Vilayur, 50 and Raminder Kahlon, 36, were all arrested last month, after police raided seven properties across Canberra.
The trio is accused of conspiring to direct Department of Finance contracts through preferred suppliers between June 2018 and June 2020, and using the kickbacks to buy and renovate properties across the ACT.
The matter was reported to the department in July last year, prompting an 11-month investigation involving the federal police lead Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce which also includes the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (AUSTRAC).5 The taskforce has restrained assets linked to the men including seven houses, cars and bank accounts.
Mr El-Debel, and Mr Vilayur were both charged with defrauding the Commonwealth and using a public office for self-benefit. Mr Kahlon has been charged with one count of fraud.
All three men are currently on bail under strict reporting conditions, and have not yet entered pleas. They are expected to face court again next week.
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