A trio of industrial relations mediators have been cleared of a fake multimillion-dollar extortion plot after prosecutors failed to present enough evidence to support their conviction.
Gazanfer Bekirovski, Travers Grubb and Daniel Van Camp walked free from the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday after their charges were dropped.
A fourth mediator, Amir Teymoori, 46, was committed to stand trial in the County Court after Magistrate Stephen Ballek found there was enough evidence to support his convictions.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges of extortion and obtaining property by deception.
Teymoori allegedly falsely claimed to be a mediator between a construction company and CFMEU union officials, purporting to have negotiated on their behalf to prevent disruptions at building sites.
The company was then invoiced $6.6 million - despite no one approving the services - and allegedly extorted.
Prosecutor Paul Stefanovic alleged Teymoori was the principal offender and the other three were complicit after they were "recruited" to assist with the debt recovery and had a common purpose to "aid and abet" the offending.
"We understand he is trying to enforce a purported debt, how that arose or if it existed we don't know," he said.
The court was shown a CCTV video of the four men meeting with a company executive outside a cafe in December 2024 where the alleged extortion occurred.
Teymoori, sitting across the table from the victim, allegedly shouted "shut up" and "I want my money" at the executive.
Under cross-examination on Tuesday, the executive, who cannot be identified, alleged Teymoori had threatened him, his family and his boss over the alleged debt during the meeting.
"You, (your boss), and your families ... I will f*** you up," the witness alleged Teymoori told him.
"If I don't get my money, I will f*** up your family."
Lawyers for Mr Bekirovski, 46, Mr Van Camp, 52, and Mr Grubb, 45, said their clients had discussed the alleged debt but that never extended to any threats.
Mr Ballek agreed, finding the trio couldn't be complicit given there was no evidence they uttered words allegedly similar to Teymoori, nor was there evidence of sufficient weight to support their convictions.
"The Crown can't point to evidence they rely upon to support that there is a persistence, encouragement or direction ... or prior understanding or agreement in relation to (their) complicity," he said.
Mr Ballek also threw out the quartet's charge of refusing to comply with a police order to provide a passcode when officers requested them to unlock their phones during searches because the warrant was not heard in open court.
He ordered Victoria Police to pay the legal fees of Mr Bekirovski, Mr Van Camp and Mr Grubb.
Teymoori will appear before the County Court for a pre-trial hearing on November 12.