On March 7, 2023, at 4.19 pm, it was reported that former Melbourne councillor Milad El-Halabi, his wife Dianna, and daughter Tania were accused of stealing and forging votes in a local election.
El-Halabi was elected to the northwestward of the Moreland City Council, now known as the Merri-bek City Council, in October 2020. The police alleged that the trio interfered with postal ballots leading up to the election.
After a two-day committal hearing, Magistrate Stephen Ballek determined that there was enough evidence to take the case to trial. Despite pleading not guilty to the charges, the El-Halabi family was released on bail, and the case was scheduled for directions hearing in the County Court in Melbourne next month.
The court was informed that the Victorian Electoral Commission received 83 suspicious ballots during the 2020 Moreland council election, and the DNA of the accused was found on some of them.
It was also alleged that a resident in the city’s north-west ward saw a “male person” in a skirt doorknocking properties and checking letterboxes for voting packs in the lead-up to the election. The man claimed that Milad had sent him when confronted by the resident.
A report to Crime Stoppers revealed that the man lived at a Glenroy address, but Detective Leading Senior Constable Mark Homberg told the court that police checks confirmed that the resident was not involved.
The El-Halabi family cannot contact witnesses or leave the state or country while on bail. The Breaking News Alert will notify readers of significant breaking news when it happens.
»Milad El-Halabi faces trial over election fraud«
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