The relationship between wealthy developer and hotel owner Roy Medich and his older brother, accused murderer Ron Medich, has reached rock bottom – Roy Medich has told an NSW court his brother is bad for business.
“As a result of Ron's arrest, criminal charges and ICAC investigations, the other members of the Badgerys Creek consortium have indefinitely suspended the activities of the consortium” until his older brother was no longer part of the consortium, Roy Medich said in an affidavit filed with the NSW Supreme Court.
Roy Medich, 64, wants a trustee appointed to sell properties at Badgerys Creek and Bringelly, which would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars once they are rezoned. He has told the NSW Supreme Court a sale is necessary because his brother’s notoriety means it is impossible to get the necessary rezonings. Ron Medich, 66, wants his part of the land to be separated off rather than sold.
In 2010, Ron Medich was charged with the murder of his former business partner Michael McGurk, who was shot outside his Cremorne house in 2009. He was also charged with intimidating Mr McGurk’s widow, Kimberley.
In his affidavit, Roy Medich said the Badgerys Creek consortium (comprising the Medichs, the University of Sydney, and brothers Joe and Daniel Damjanovich) had worked very hard to get the land rezoned. But the murder of Mr McGurk and the “allegations being made that Mr McGurk had tape recordings of Ron and his dealings with the Department of Planning” made subsequent dealings with the department difficult, Roy Medich said. Although the Independent Commission Against Corruption found no wrongdoing in its inquiry into corruption allegations contained in the tape, Roy Medich said the adverse publicity "has compromised my ability to deal with the Department of Planning".
“Ron and I do not have the same judgment or method of doing business. We are unable to agree on many things and we cannot work together," he said.
Roy Medich was seeking to have the matter dealt with before his brother’s criminal trial – expected to run for four months – starts in August. “If Ron is convicted of murder ... the difficulties that have been encountered as a result of his involvement will become exponentially worse and there will be little or no chance for the properties being rezoned," he stated.
Roy Medich launched the legal action in November last year. Several weeks earlier, evidence emerged at his brother’s committal hearing that Ron wanted Roy's house burgled.
Ron Medich's former associate Lucky Gattellari told the hearing that after the brothers had argued at lunch, Ron Medich said "he'd like to teach that son of a bitch a lesson". Gattellari, who has pleaded guilty to his role in the murder, said he and Ron Medich discussed getting someone to break into Roy Medich's house at Denham Court. He alleged that Ron Medich said: "Someone should break in and take the money and give him a little bit of a push around, but not to hurt him."
The former boxing champion said Ron Medich wanted to teach his younger brother a lesson. "He just wanted to put him in his place," Gattellari said.
Justice James Stevenson refused to grant Roy Medich’s request for an expedited hearing. He said there is a "real and not merely notional danger of injustice ... to Ron Medich, were these proceedings to be heard before the criminal trial commences".
