Perth Mint sells gold to a notorious former bikie without asking questions
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The former Hells Angels leader bought $27,000 worth of gold from the Perth Mint, without being asked about the source of the funds.(The West Australian)
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abc . net . au /news/perth-mint-sells-gold-former-hells-angels-bikie-without-checks/102048620
Australia's biggest mint allowed a notorious former bikie to buy $27,000 worth of gold, no questions asked.
A Four Corners investigation has uncovered major holes in the compliance regime of the WA government-owned Perth Mint — failings that could cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
The mint is required by law to conduct rigorous checks on the sale of its gold to high-risk customers and examine their source of funds.
That did not happen when the former sergeant-at-arms of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang in WA, Dayne Brajkovich, walked into the Perth Mint gift shop to buy gold in June last year.
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The former bikie waits to purchase gold in the Perth Mint gift shop.(Supplied)Mr Brajkovich has spent time in jail for possessing a commercial quantity of MDMA and was recently convicted of assault and being armed in public.
He is no longer a member of the Hells Angels and Four Corners is not suggesting his money is sourced from illegal activity but Mr Brajkovich says the Perth Mint only asked him for his driver's licence.
Author and financial crime expert Nathan Lynch says Mr Brajkovich, who shot to fame in Perth after a public brawl with a rival gang leader, should have been classified as a high-risk customer.
"He's a well-known entity, and it would be pretty hard to argue that an organisation didn't know about that reputation," Mr Lynch says.
"But that's beside the point. They have a legal obligation to look into customers that come in their door, to know who they are and to look into their background.
"Dayne Brajkovich is absolutely a red flag."
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The Perth Mint is both a tourist attraction and one of the state's largest exporters.(Four Corners: Mat Marsic)The revelation could prove highly embarrassing for WA Premier Mark McGowan, whose government has taken a hard line on motorcycle gangs. Mr McGowan had ministerial responsibility for the mint for four years until March 2021.
It may also prompt questions from Australia's financial crime agency, AUSTRAC, which is currently investigating the mint for its compliance with anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing laws.
Financial crime expert Moyara Ruehsen says "gold is a money launderer's dream".
"You can melt it; you can move it. It's very difficult to trace to its point of origin," she says.
Like Westpac and the Commonwealth Bank, the mint could be fined hundreds of millions of dollars if it is found to have breached these laws.
Any fines would ultimately be paid for by WA taxpayers, as the mint is the only refinery in the world that is underwritten by a government.
Taxpayer-owned Perth Mint sells gold to a notorious former bikie without asking questions - ABC News
