Arbeit macht frei: - Fredrick Töben

‘Incompetent’ developer of Burnside’s Fernilee Lodge jailed
Sean Fewster, The Advertiser
A ‘breathtakingly incompetent’ developer with an ‘abysmal lack of
business sense’ who illegally raised $4 million to demolish Burnside’s
Fernilee Lodge has been jailed. The District Court today ordered Robin
Brian Poumako serve the first 12 months of a 30-month sentence
behind bars, and the rest on a good behaviour bond. His ‘stupid and
naive’ co-offender, Ann-Marie Donaldson, was released on an 18-month
good behaviour bond.
In May 2008 a jury found the duo guilty of 44 breaches of Federal law
relating to raising funds for a corporate entity. In sentencing, Judge Peter
Herriman said the duo raised their first $3.5 million in the mistaken
belief they were acting lawfully. They sourced $500,000 more after being
told, by authorities, they had broken the law. ‘You acted recklessly prior
to (the warning) but, from that point onwards, you acted deliberately,’ he
said. ‘There was an obvious motive for your surreptitious conduct – you
needed to pay interest to your earlier clients.’
Poumako and Donaldson used the funds to buy and develop Fernilee
Lodge - an 1880s mansion with no local or state heritage protection. It
was demolished before Burnside Council was asked for permission to
develop the site - permission it never gave.
Judge Herriman said the pair had blamed the council and others for
their woes, but the responsibility was theirs. ‘Your offending displayed
breathtaking incompetence,’ he said.
‘Poumako, you have an abysmal lack of business sense and
understanding of simple book and record keeping. ‘Donaldson, you
have an abysmal lack of business knowledge (and) you were stupid and
naive in going along with Poumako.’ He was satisfied good reason
existed to give Donaldson a bond, but said Poumako’s conduct was ‘too
serious’ for anything other than jail.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24430138-5012944,00.html
That the Burnside Council is plagued with dissident residents has nothing
to do with my having lived at Wattle Park for over 16 years. Nor has it
anything to do with an immigrant developer called Popov, who changed his
name to Powers, who is galvanizing residents into saving the Chelsea
Cinema from demolition. This seems to be another re-run of the Fernilee
Lodge’s demise – and such bungling is merely an expression of the battleof-the-will
that goes on in the haggling world of real estate.
Wherever we turn in our daily comings and goings there is some issue
demanding our attention – this way or that way, this thing or that thing, or
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