DPP (Cth) v Helou, DPP (Cth) v Solomons [2004] NSWSC 803

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : DPP (Cth) v Helou, DPP (Cth) v Solomons [2004] NSWSC 803 HEARING DATE(S) : 06/05/04 JUDGMENT DATE : 1 September 2004

JUDGMENT OF : Shaw J DECISION : (1) A declaration and/or order that the defendants have a right to apply for exclusion pursuant to s 31 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 1987 (Cth).; (2) And, subject to any further argument, I am of the view that the plaintiff should pay the costs of the defendants in these proceedings to date.; (3) Lest there be any argument as to the applicability of the adjudication as to Mr Helou by the Court of Criminal Appeal to Mr Solomons, liberty to apply is given in that regard.

CATCHWORDS : Crime - Confiscation of Profits of Crime - Whether the defendants whose property has been forfeited to the Commonwealth under s30 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 1987 (Cth) have "an interest" in the property - Whether the defendants are subject to s31 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 1987 (Cth) for certain ameliorative measures under the Act - Construction of Commonwealth legislation conferring wide powers to confiscate the "proceeds of crime" - Public interest Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth) LEGISLATION CITED : Proceeds of Crime Act 1987 (Cth) Proceeds of Crime Act 2002(Cth) Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) Director of Public Prosecutions v Elias Helou [2003] NSWCA 301 Jeffrey v DPP (Cth) (1995) 79 A Crim R 514 DPP v Saxon (1992) 28 NSWLR 263 Saffron v DPP (Cth) (1989) 87 ALR 151 Saffron v DPP (Cth) (1989) 96 FLR 196 Attorney General v De Keyser's Royal Hotel Limited (1920) AC 508 Tuck and Sons v Priester (1887) 19 QBD 629 R v Bolger (1982) 16 NSWLR 115 CASES CITED : Ombudsman v Moroney (1983) 1 NSWLR 317 Winkley v Paton (1943) 60 WN (NSW) 162 Joyce v Paton (1941) 58 (NSW) 88 R v Shildkamp [1971] AC 1 Bushell v Harmond [1904] 2 KB 563 'F' v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (unreported, Federal Court of Australia, 23 March 2001) DPP v Logan Park Investments Pty Ltd (1995) 37 NSWLR 118 Murphy v Farmer [1988] 165 CLR 19 Lee v DPP (1991) 109 FLR 28 NSW CC v Davies [1999] NSWSC 354 PARTIES : Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) v Elias Helou Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) v Gregory John Solomons FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 10498 of 2000 T Muir - Crown COUNSEL : G J Jones - Defendant Helou N L Carroll - Defendant Helou P Kintominas - Defendant Solomons Kelly Muirhead - Crown SOLICITORS : Philip Sim - Defendant Helou P Ives - Defendant Solomons