By LES KENNEDY
A LAWYER accused of hiring a man to stage a robbery of his practice has been acquitted of six charges alleging insurance fraud and misleading a police investigation.
In dismissing charges against Liverpool solicitor Peter Maatouk (pictured) in the Downing Centre Local Court on Friday, magistrate David Armati found that three principal police witnesses were unreliable and that one, self-confessed ALP branch stacker Sam Bargshoon who was at the centre of the infamous Orange Grove illegal shopping centre affair, had committed perjury.
Mr Armati found evidence subjected to cross-examination during the 45-day summary committal hearing which came from police telephone intercepts suggested Mr Bargshoon perverted the course of justice in that he was prepared to falsely swear a good character reference for a person he did not know.
Mr Bargshoon was giving evidence in exchange for immunity from police after they dropped a charge against him of allegedly trying to extort $100,000 from Mr Maatouk. Mr Bargshoon, under cross-examination during the hearing from Mr Maatouk's barrister Peter Lowe, also admitted he paid cash bribes to Liverpool councillors and bribes of whisky to council officers to get favourable treatment for landscaping tenders.
The admissions came after police charged Mr Maatouk with allegedly hiring Nekola Dades to break into his Liverpool legal practice last year and tie him up before stealing $23,000 in cash, a Picasso etching and the last photo of Peter Brock signed before he died in a car rally crash, worth collectively $78,000. Mr Maatouk's BMW worth $115,000 was also stolen.
Mr Maatouk, 35, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, said yesterday he was the victim of a smear and ''dirty tricks'' campaign to stop him from running for mayor of Liverpool on the Liberal Party ticket.
''The charges ruined my chances of running for council and almost ruined my practice, but I believed that the truth would come out.''