Musselroe Bay property seized by AFP
• The planning application submitted to Dorset Council in 2013.
October 31, 2019
AUSTRALIAN Federal Police (AFP) have seized 3,000 acres of farmland in Musselroe Bay as part of and investigation into Chinese nationals allegedly laundering proceeds of crime.
Investigators from the AFP’s Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce and Criminal Assets Litigations restrained the land on October 29, along with several other properties throughout Melbourne.
The AFP alleges that the two Chinese nationals moved about $23million of fraudulently-obtained funds from China since late 2012, with the proceeds of crime used to purchase or develop numerous properties in Melbourne and Tasmania.
Mayor Greg Howard said a planning application was submitted to Dorset Council in 2013 for the development of an 18-hole golf course and a resort with 40 villas, 200 units and 100 rooms.
“The application had been renewed twice and it’s only in the last couple of weeks we gave approval for subsequent commencement of the project,” he said.
“It is now out of our hands and given that it’s been seized by the AFP, I guess everything is on hold.
“It’s pretty disappointing for something like that to happen – a development of that scale in the North-East would have been great and would probably have created a few hundred jobs.”
The AFP investigation, Operation Gethen, follows a 2017 request from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) for AFP assistance to identify two Chinese nationals suspected of laundering proceeds of crime in Australia.
Chinese authorities believe the money was raised in China through real estate and bank loan fraud.
AFP Criminal Assets and Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) Detective Superintendent Kate Ferry said the outcome shows how international collaboration can have a human impact at the local level.
“The AFP has now restrained $50m since formalising our partnership with the Chinese MPS in 2017. This is $50 million that has been taken out of the criminal economy,” Detective Superintendent Ferry said.
“Money laundering – where significant criminal proceeds are moved into Australian assets – is far from a victimless crime. It impacts our whole community by eroding the level playing field for Australian homebuyers and small business owners.
“This outcome sends a strong message to people thinking about evading foreign governments and police agencies. We are working with our international counterparts to stop proceeds of crime being laundered in Australia – we will catch you eventually.”
The $17.3 million in restrained assets are now subject to a Commonwealth restraining order made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Investigations into the individuals involved are ongoing.
