She cleared native trees, he’s accused of lying over dumped asbestos. Meet the Khouzames

The EPA did not receive a report about asbestos contamination that it demanded from Mrs Khouzame in first series of notices and, in May 2023, after she submitted one, the EPA said it was not sufficient.

It issued an extension to Mrs Khouzame in August, demanding the waste be removed by the end of September. But in December, after further testing of the site, the EPA discovered more asbestos and she was told to remove that waste by February. It is not clear whether Mrs Khouzame, who purchased the land in 2020 for $400,000, has responded to that notice.

Hemisphere Constructions material seen on site as husband back in court

Hemisphere Constructions – of which Mr Khouzame was the sole director before it had its building licence cancelled a month after the Condell Park home collapsed and before the business was placed into administration in July 2023 – was on the site during the period the trees were removed.

A demountable shed with the Hemisphere Constructions logo was on the site in July 2021, as shown in photos obtained by the Herald. Bulldozers and other heavy machinery were brought in. In emails seen by the Herald, Hemisphere Constructions was corresponding with at least one local resident regarding possible cracking of bricks as a result of the works.

One local resident – who wished to remain anonymous, citing privacy concerns – said they had seen the Khouzames on the 40-hectare property on many weekends, often with their children.

The resident said after the trees were cleared and building material was allegedly dumped, the wind blew dust from the property across neighbouring land. Residents contacted the EPA over concerns their homes were being contaminated.

Mrs Khouzame was found guilty of the land clearing last week, but she has not faced any charges for the waste that appeared on the property. However, the EPA has launched legal action against Mr Khouzame, accusing him of being an accessory to the commission of offences carried out by his company, as its director, and of supplying false or misleading information about the waste on the site.

An EPA spokesperson said Mr Khouzame “allegedly provided false information to the EPA during the EPA’s investigation for an alleged pollution incident at a property located at Canyonleigh in the Southern Highlands”.

“The EPA cannot provide any further comment while the matter is before the Court,” they said.

His case will be heard on June 12, and comes just weeks after Mr Khouzame pleaded guilty to three charges of publishing misleading material to obtain financial advantage, two charges of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, three charges of making false or misleading statements in an insurance application, and one charge of engaging an unlicensed contractor.

When he rang the Herald from a private number last month, Mr Khouzame defended the charges as “very, very, very, very low-end fraud”.

“It was literally an honest mistake from my staff in the office,” he said.

An email seen by the Herald also reveals that Mrs Khouzame, using her maiden name, at least once acted on behalf of Hemisphere Constructions, sending invoices from an email address linked to the company.

Relationship issues outlined in court

In court, Mrs Khouzame provided a psychological report describing her as a “cooperative though depressed and anxious woman” with a “complex clinical and developmental history, which was particularly acute in the lead up to her alleged offending conduct”.

She also submitted a letter from her accountant that described “dire financial circumstances” as a result of her “prolonged period of unemployment” that had left her “grappling with substantial challenges in meeting her financial obligations”.

Mrs Khouzame said she and her husband were having marital difficulties, limiting the financial support she was receiving at the time. The court was told she was paying for school fees for the couple’s children and had used her own savings to pay legal fees.

She told the court she was behind on repayments of the couple’s South Hurstville home, and that she used money from the sale of the Canyonleigh property to catch up on her home loan.

The judgment said that the court was not shown any documents to provide evidence of these claims, and Chief Justice Brian Preston decided he would not reduce the fine, as there was insufficient evidence of supposed financial difficulties.

The Khouzames did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

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