Melbourne builder Alex Dimopoulos has pleaded guilty to using false documents to secure building licences for 16 workers through the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC).
The 58-year-old, whose companies Oxford Builders and Buildcense worked on projects including Brunswick and Lonsdale Apartments, admitted in the County Court on Monday to dishonestly obtaining licences under a reciprocal arrangement with Victoria.
The court heard Dimopoulos lodged applications with fraudulent references from builders, civil engineers and a draftsman who knew him professionally. His clients were mostly migrants who feared they would not pass Victoria’s stricter building licence process due to language or education barriers.
In mid-2014, Dimopoulos met with QBCC regulatory services manager Cameron Murphy, claiming he built service stations nationwide and wanted licences issued in Queensland.
During 2014 and 2015, the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) noticed a surge in interstate applications, later tracing the fraud to “promoters” in Victoria charging unregistered builders to apply interstate.
VBA and QBCC referred the matter to police after three referees denied writing supporting statements used in the applications.
Dimopoulos was remanded on bail and will be sentenced on September 2.
Source: Herald Sun.
