MELBOURNE underworld identity Mick Gatto has been asked to intervene in the collapse of stockbroker Opes Prime by an anonymous group of investors who wish to recoup some of their losses.
Gatto, the man who shot dead Andrew "Benji" Veniamin at a Carlton restaurant in March 2004 and was later acquitted of murder on the grounds of self-defence, will fly to Singapore today as the representative of a private group of Opes Prime clients.
La Trobe Street financier Tom Karas - the man who repossessed a share of the racehorse Pillar of Hercules from Horty Mokbel after he defaulted on a $100,000 personal loan - said the services of Gatto and his private company, Arbitrations & Mediations, had been enlisted by a "group of Melbourne businessmen".
Gatto has meetings in Singapore scheduled until Friday, but would not confirm the identity of the parties he is meeting with. He did confirm that he would be travelling to Singapore with business associate John Khoury.
"It's my way or the highway," Gatto told Full Disclosure.
"These Opes Prime clients can take their chances and lose all their money to lawyers and to the receivers, or they can take their chances with me to extract a return on their behalf.
"The proof is in the pudding with me. I solve problems, and I can extract a return on their behalf."
Gatto said State Securities, the La Trobe Street finance company operated by Tom Karas, was also involved in the action to retrieve money from Singapore.
"It's a case of following the money," said Karas.
"Where that will take Mick, we don't know yet, but he will fly to Singapore first to speak with some people and try to work out where some of the money has gone."
Full Disclosure has been told that Gatto's travel itinerary may also take him to the British Virgin Islands, depending on his success in Singapore.
Of importance to Gatto and the parties he represents - as well as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission - is the alleged transfer of cash and shares between the Opes Prime share trading accounts linked with Sydney solicitor Chris Murphy and an account operated by a company registered in the British Virgin Islands.
That British Virgin Islands company has an office in Singapore.
Last week an affidavit sworn by a senior ASIC investigator Richard Vandeloo alleged that Opes Prime director Lirim "Laurie" Emini directed staff to transfer shares or cash between the Virgin Island company's account and those operated by Murphy or other Opes clients.
The transactions are alleged to have occurred between December 18 last year and this February - just weeks before Opes Prime crashed.
Gatto told Full Disclosure that Opes Prime customers who had lost their share portfolios should consider joining forces with Arbitrations & Mediations and State Securities, rather than join a class action.
"This is John, and Tom and me. You can help fund our action, or a class action and pay the lawyers," Gatto said.
He also pointed out that John Khoury is no relation to Leo "the Gun" Khouri, the day-trader who is trying to organise a class action to try to recoup some of his lost shares. "Maybe Leo should give me a ring and join us," Gatto said.
Gatto refused to reveal the identity of the people he is representing, or the identity of any of the parties with whom he is scheduled to meet in Singapore. Continued…
