A voting fraud scandal linked to the 2023 Whittlesea Council election — in which Nicholas Hajichristou was a candidate — will see Lalor Ward residents return to the polls later this year.
According to The Herald Sun, a joint investigation by Victoria Police and the Victorian Electoral Commission uncovered 24 duplicate ballots fraudulently cast in the 2023 council election — all listing Hajichristou as the first preference. An additional 57 stolen ballots, which are also believed to have favoured him, were counted and could not be recovered.
While the fraudulent activity appeared to benefit Hajichristou’s campaign, Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) vice president Judge Caitlin English made clear there is no evidence he was “involved in, or responsible for” the scheme. It is not suggested Hajichristou was even aware of the scheme.
Judge English ruled that the “system of fraud” may have impacted the final outcome, which saw then-councillor Steven Kozmevski elected by just 39 votes. She noted that the fraudulent votes were filled out with the same pen and handwriting, and that the affected voters had been deprived of their right to vote.
Investigators traced the origin of the fraud to a cluster of streets in Lalor and concluded the scheme was “designed to have Mr Hajichristou elected on first preferences.” Despite the apparent intent, the plan was unsuccessful, with Hajichristou receiving 3,344 of the 12,300 votes cast.
The incident follows a separate case of electoral fraud involving former Labor councillor Milad El-Halabi. Although Victoria Police is not currently pursuing criminal charges in the Whittlesea case, the Victorian Electoral Commission has issued a strong warning to those who attempt to undermine electoral integrity.
Judge English also raised concerns about the current postal voting system, describing it as “more susceptible to a general and systematic campaign of personation.”
Acting electoral commissioner Dana Fleming reinforced the Commission’s position, stating: “We will detect your efforts, and we will act.”
A date for the byelection in Lalor Ward has not yet been announced.
Source: Herald Sun.
