Michael Teplitsky's alleged role in "cleaning" Platus Payroll tax fraud funds

Senior writer at the Australian Financial Review, Neil Chenoweth, has reported the Sydney property developer Michael Teplitsky allegedly asked for a 7 percent fee to "clean" part of $24 million which was the proceeds of an alleged blackmail distribution in the alleged Plutus Payroll tax fraud.

The allegations were claimed by the Australian Federal Police in NSW Supreme Court documents.

Teplitsky has not been charged in relation to the matter, and there's no suggestion he had any knowledge of the alleged misconduct of the alleged fraud or blackmail.

The federal police detailed phone intercepts in which Mr Teplitsky discussed a loan at 21 per cent interest, made to his company from diverted Plutus funds via a Hong Kong company, Moshav Financial Limited.

"I can take as much as you want up there and clean it up for you through here," Mr Teplitsky said on an April 27 phone call to property consultant Dan Hausman.

Housman is charged with allegedly being part of a conspiracy to commit tax fraud through the Plutus Payroll Australia group.

"I know mate, if it was anybody else it would have costed you 15 per cent, I was doing it for seven, but I think I am getting it away for free," Mr Teplitsky told Mr Hausman.

"It comes back nice and f--king clean," Mr Hausman told Dan Rostankovski, an alleged co-conspritator in the Plutus fraud.

"Oh beautiful, perfect, perfect, that's awesome," Mr Rostankovki told Mr Hausman on the December 7 call after he confirmed the $250,000 transfers.

The deals are described in an AFP affidavit filed last month. 

The alleged blackmail involved in the Plutus Payroll matter allegedly saw Rostankovski (with Mr Hausman as a secret partner) blackmail their alleged co-conspirators with a threat to go to the police.

Mr Teplitsky has not been charged over the Plutus matters.

The Australian Financial review advised it is not suggested Teplitsky was aware of the tax fraud or of the alleged blackmail.

Hausman negotiated with Mr Teplitsky to handle the funds, beginning with a $5 million loan to Mr Teplitsky's Tepcorp Surrey Hills Pty Ltd by Mr Rostankovski's company, Luminous Investment Holdings, via the Hong Kong company. A total of $7 million in principal and interest was to be paid back, the AFP affidavit says, with monthly instalments of $87,500.

But a side agreement ensured that all of the $7 million would actually come from Hausman and Rostankovski, before it was returned to them.

"Well what happens is that we're giving him a total of 7 [million], being 5 through the loan and we're giving him two the other way," Hausman said in a March 14 telephone call to a lawyer handling the paperwork, referring to the side deal.

"And you want to do as much as possible, so, you know what I mean, and then I'll clear it out so you can get the cash back," Mr Teplitsky told Hausman on April 16.

"Yeah getting it out and then converting it back, back to you."

The deal was secured by an unregistered mortgage on an office tower in Short Street, Surrey Hills, owned by Tepcorp.

Mr Teplinsky's company would repay $7 million on the loan to Luminous, ostensibly funded by rent payments by the building's tenant, the Whitehouse Institute of Design (which had no knowledge of the deal).

"Just let you know everything is going as smooth as it can be," Mr Teplitsky told Hausman on May 3.

The AFP affidavit says that $6 million was transferred from the Lands Legal Trust Accounts to a Hong Kong account of Moshav Financial Limited on May 4.

The AFP raided Mr Teplitsky's business 12 days later.

Mr Teplitsky sold his major asset, 100 Harris Street, Pyrmont to listed property group Dexus for $327.5 million yesterday.