QC embroiled in legal soap opera
“There is an extraordinary tangled web of dealings between the key players in this legal soap opera,” reports Richard Gluyas in The Australian.
“There is an extraordinary tangled web of dealings between the key players in this legal soap opera,” reports Richard Gluyas in The Australian, about the legal action brought by Allan Myers QC to retrieve confidential transcripts on his business transactions. Melbourne horse breeder Royce Ritchie and businessman John Vereker, "who has racing interests", are defendants in a Victorian Supreme Court case to be heard on June 9, after Ritchie tendered the first page of the transcript as evidence for a Racing Victoria steward’s inquiry in January. Supreme Court documents show the men "vehemently disagree" on the origin of the transcript. Ritchie said he received the transcript from Vereker, who found the document when it “fell off the back of a truck”, while Vereker denies he ever had a copy of the document. Myer said he thinks one of his employees took the document from his office. Vereker launched an action against Myers in the Supreme Court last year in a dispute over the valuation process for the sale of Vereker’s minority stake in DPC Tipperary holdings. Myers, owner of the Tipperary cattle stations, wanted his accountant to be the DPC Tipperary auditor but Vereker sought an independent party. During the court case it emerged that DPC Tipperary had been receiving funding from Hunan NV. Helen Tang, Hunan NV’s manager, has connections with Myers as his former student at Arnold Block Leibler. Ritchie told a directions hearing earlier this month he thought Myers’ solicitors were acting for him and now they are acting against him, the article states. Ritchie and Vereker claims Myers owes them money and attempted to pay less than full value for the minority shareholding in DPC Tipperary. Myers’ solicitor, Bruce Cameron from Norton Gledhill, said Ritchie had told him Vereker had been motivated to provide the transcript and “stir up mud on Allan”, The Australian reports. Myers last year also took legal action against Vereker’s business partner, Rodney Illingworth, to retrieve two personal business documents, including a 2006 deed, which were mailed to Illingworth’s Northern Territory home, but were then returned to Myers’ solicitors by Australia Post due to an insufficient address. Myers’ other business dealings include an investment in Poland’s largest brewer, Zywiec. Bond Corp executive Tony Oakes, former manager and part-owner of Zywiec, received a jail sentence for committing the biggest corporate fraud in Poland. Myers is Australia’s richest lawyer, ranked number 37 in the BRW Rich 200 list, who has notably conducted a $90 million-plus settlement with the Australian Tax Office in 2006.