The founding director of Unique Estates, Byron’s now-defunct boutique real estate agency, appeared in a Sydney court last week to face more than a dozen charges.
Nicolette Van Wijngaarden appeared in the Downing Centre Local Court on 10 charges of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, and five charges of being an accessory to offences committed by a corporation.
Court documents reveal that the 44-year-old former Byron resident is now living in the Melbourne suburb of Elwood. She has had to hand in both her Australian and Dutch passports as a condition of bail, and is forbidden from entering any international airport or other point of departure from Australia.
She is also required to report to St Kilda police station once a week. In a statement to The Echo the Department of Finance said, ‘the total quantum of money involved in all charges alleged is in excess of $3.5m’.
