Vellar, Paradisis end long dispute

By Veronica Apap
Updated November 5 2012 - 7:14pm, first published November 19 2008 - 10:46am
Mr Paradisis
Mr Paradisis
Frank Vellar (left) arrives at Wollongong Courthouse with his legal team. Picture: KIRK GILMOUR
Frank Vellar (left) arrives at Wollongong Courthouse with his legal team. Picture: KIRK GILMOUR

Disgraced Wollongong developer Frank Vellar yesterday ended a long-running dispute with businessman George Paradisis over an alleged debt.Mr Vellar had accused Mr Paradisis of failing to pay his company - Vellar Constructions - for building work carried out on Mr Paradisis' Bridal Galleria business in Kenny St, Wollongong, in early 2006. He took action against Mr Paradisis and a hearing was due to begin yesterday in Wollongong District Court.However, the two parties arrived at an out of court settlement, the details of which will be presented to the court today.Mr Vellar was a key figure in the Wollongong corruption scandal, with the Independent Commission Against Corruption finding he had engaged in corrupt conduct.The watchdog found he had conspired with his lover - town planner Beth Morgan - to have his non-compliant developments passed by the council.During the ICAC hearings, Mr Vellar claimed that Mr Paradisis had introduced him to conman Ray Younan.Younan went on to convince Mr Vellar he could help him make the ICAC investigation disappear.ICAC found no evidence that Mr Paradisis had engaged in corrupt conduct.Yesterday, Judge Norman Delaney described the dispute between Mr Vellar and Mr Paradisis over the alleged unpaid bill as "the oldest case in this (court) registry".Before negotiations began, Judge Delaney criticised Mr Paradisis' legal team, from Sydney firm Abraham and Associates, for requesting evidence such as receipts and bank statements from Illawarra businesspeople just days before the hearing was due to begin."(The subpoenas) should have been issued months ago," Judge Delaney said."This had been listed for hearing on July 30."Rather than allowing copies of the evidence to be forwarded to the court before the hearing took place, the lawyers told those producing documents they needed to present them in court in person.The seven men who produced evidence yesterday all said they had not been told they could have sent the documents.Judge Delaney said the behaviour could have been in contempt of court and he would be referring the matter to another court for consideration."The way in which this has been done is, shall I say, unusual to the extent that in the 10 years I've been sitting as a judge I've never seen it occur in the fashion in which it has occurred today," he said.The managing director of a refrigeration firm told the court he phoned Abrahams to say he could not make it to court.However, the court heard he later received a fax saying an arrest warrant would be issued against him if he failed to appear.Judge Delaney said it was "outrageous" conduct and ordered Abrahams to pay the company $500 in costs and send an apology.Abrahams were ordered to pay five companies a total of $1390 in compensation for lost working hours.

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