A Reservoir man has been ordered to pay an aggregate fine of $20,000 and had a conviction recorded against him, for unlicensed car trading.
The outcome was the result of an appeal by the Office of Public Prosecutions.
Shahriyar Noori, 40, was charged with five counts of unlicensed motor car trading, following a Consumer Affairs Victoria investigation. He pleaded guilty at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 18 May and was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, without conviction.
The appeal was heard at the Melbourne County Court on 2 August, with the previous decision formally set aside and a larger fine and conviction imposed. The court described Mr Noori’s offences as systemic and serious, with repeated illegal transactions over a significant period of time.
We took action against Mr Noori after receiving a Crime Stoppers report alleging he was engaging in unlicensed motor trading. During our investigation, we identified multiple occasions when he had sold cars while unlicensed, between 16 May 2018 and 15 May 2021.
Consumer Affairs Victoria Director Nicole Rich said the positive appeal outcome reflected the serious impact unlicensed motor car trading had on consumers and the licensed motor car trading industry.
“Consumers who buy from unlicensed traders are left exposed. Vehicles will not come with a warranty, a cooling-off period and other protections a buyer gets when dealing with a licensed motor car trader,” Ms Rich said.
“Unlicensed trading is also unfair on licensed motor car traders who are competing in the car sales market and doing the right thing,” she said.
Motor car traders have a responsibility to understand their legal obligations under the Motor Car Traders Act 1986 and Motor Car Traders Regulations 2018.
“We will continue to take action where we find unlicensed car trading, and have a number of enforcement options available, including issuing a warning notice or taking court action,” Ms Rich said.
For more information about motor car trading, including applying for a licence, see Motor car trading.