A tobacco retailer proprietor has claimed his enterprise was firebombed two weeks after he refused to comply with an abroad crime boss’s orders to pay up.
Alibadi has been charged with 24 offences referring to alleged firebombings and automotive thefts throughout Melbourne between September 2023 and March.
Police declare Alibadi has been working for Kazem ‘Kaz’ Hamad, who’s allegedly working the Hamad household’s organised crime operations from the Center East.
The Hamad syndicate is preventing the Haddara gang for management over the importation and distribution of unlawful tobacco in Victoria, the courtroom was beforehand instructed.
It is alleged Alibadi went to Haddara’s Glenroy Vape Tobacconist retailer in Melbourne’s north on September 23, 2023, and handed over a cellphone with an lively video name from Kaz Hamad.
Hamad claimed the GVT retailer was in an space belonging to him and Haddara would want to pay up if he needed to maintain doing enterprise, Haddara instructed the courtroom by means of an Arabic interpreter.
The proprietor claimed he refused, as a substitute telling Hamad in Arabic, “I pay you my dick”.
Haddara alleged Alibadi then requested him for a lighter and scoped out his retailer for CCTV cameras earlier than leaving.
The shop was set alight on October 10, 2023, inflicting greater than $450,000 price of injury.
Alibadi has been charged with arson and reckless conduct endangering life over the incident.
Haddara additionally alleged he acquired a name from a non-public abroad quantity in February after which a textual content from an Australian quantity the place his life was threatened.
He admitted the main points of the textual content message weren’t in his written police statements, nor was any point out of Alibadi allegedly scoping out the shop.
Alibadi, who has been on bail since Might, denies the allegations.
Justice of the Peace Jillian Prior will hear from one other 4 witnesses earlier than deciding whether or not there may be sufficient proof for the case to go to trial.
The committal listening to is anticipated to run till Wednesday.
