A mystery $550,000 sports car linked to disgraced former doctor Geoffrey Edelsten is up for sale as the medical entrepreneur battles his former US business partners and wife Brynne.
The 2013 ‘‘volcano red’’ McLaren Spider, advertised for sale through Alphington dealer Patrix Prestige, boasts an eight cylinder engine and can accelerate from a standing start to 100 kilometres an hour in just 3.1 seconds.
Australian Financial Security Authority records show that Mr Edelsten has granted security over the vehicle to Highgate Road, a company owned by the former Sydney Swans owner’s long-time accountant, Lindsay Hosking.
However, Tony Kassiotis, a director of Sydney car dealer Prestige Motor Gallery, said the vehicle was his and he had bought it new from prestige auto group Trivett.
He declined to explain why Mr Edelsten had registered an interest in the car.
‘‘That is absolutely none of your business,’’ he said.
‘‘The car belongs to me and it’s for sale.
‘‘If you’re buying the car then the minute you buy the car it will be unencumbered.’’
He said there was no money owing on the car and Mr Edelsten ‘‘will have absolutely no interest in the vehicle’’.
Adding to the mystery, Mr Edelsten did not declare any interest in the vehicle in a 49-page statement of affairs he filed with a court in Ohio after declaring bankruptcy in the United States.
The bankruptcy is linked to a long-running legal battle with Mr Edelsten’s former business partners, the Florida-based Mawardi family, over assets including fashion label House of Nurielle, run-down apartment blocks, a casino in the Dominican Republic and a luxury jet.
During the stoush, the Mawardis have alleged that a mortgage taken out by Highgate Road over one of the apartment blocks, in Ohio, was a sham – an allegation denied by Mr Edelsten’s lawyers.
Earlier this month, US Federal Bankruptcy Court judge Lawrence Walter slammed Mr Edelsten for using a ‘‘shell game’’ to gain advantage against the Mawardis.
Mr Edelsten displayed a ‘‘willingness to obfuscate the facts, recharacterise transactions, and take unauthorised and perhaps illegal actions to achieve his financial objectives’’, Judge Walter said in an April 11 ruling.
Mr Edelsten and his lawyer, Michael Webb of Webb Korfiatis, have yet to respond to questions sent by email on Monday morning.
