The owners responsible for the illegal demolition of the Corkman Irish Pub have been ordered to pay $250,000 in legal costs, fined $150,000 and sentenced to one month in prison for failing to comply with an order from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
Melbourne City Council and the Victorian Government successfully pursued the contempt of court convictions in the planning tribunal last month and welcomed today’s sentencing following the guilty verdict from the President of the tribunal, Justice Michelle Quigley.
The new penalty applies to Stefce Kutlesovski, Raman Shaqiri and the company that owns the property, 160 Leicester Pty Ltd (of which Stefce Kutlesovski and Raman Shaqiri are both Directors).
Justice Quigley found the company and its two directors had wilfully and deliberately failed to comply with the terms of a May 2019 VCAT order requiring them to clear the site in Carlton and make it available for public recreation.
The State Government and Melbourne City Council were awarded $250,000 legal costs from the owners in light of their failure to comply with the Orders.
Attributable to Lord Mayor Sally Capp:
“We took on these proceedings in the public interest because it’s completely unacceptable to ignore a court ruling.
Today’s decision vindicates the court’s authority and sends a clear message that we won’t tolerate developers disobeying a court order.
We look forward to seeing the site cleaned up and available for the public to enjoy.”
Attributable to Minister for Planning Richard Wynne:
“These developers deserve this outcome. They have trashed Victoria’s heritage, refused to build a park, and shirked their legal obligations at every step.”
/Public Release. View in full here.
