A bankrupt former western Sydney deputy mayor and property developer who made headlines when he shut down an entire street for his wedding day has left prison after almost five years behind bars.
Salim Mehajer was granted parole last month after he was found guilty in 2023 in separate trials for offences which took place between April 1, 2018 and October 4, 2020.
At about 9.30am today, Mehajer walked out of John Moroney Correctional Centre in Windsor in the Hawkesbury.
He was wearing a dark suit and sunglasses, and appeared to have his hair tied back.
He carried what looked like a folio in one hand and a bag in the other.
Mehajer was greeted with a handshake by another man in a suit, who escorted him to a black sedan, believed to be a Mercedes, before they drove away.
Mehajer, a former deputy mayor of Auburn council, was sentenced to seven years and nine months behind bars for a number of crimes, including domestic violence offences against his ex-partner, and forging his lawyer’s signature.
The sentence carried a non-parole period of three years and nine months.
9News understands that since his incarceration at the John Moroney Correctional Complex, Mehajer has been kept to his own cell for about 17 hours a day for his own protection.
Mehajer’s parole conditions include no contact with his victim, no contact with bikie members, and a ban on visiting the Central Coast local government area.
His release was opposed by the commissioner of corrective services, while the State Parole Authority rated Mehajer’s risk of re-offending as “medium”.
Mehajer completed a number of courses in prison and will continue to do so on the outside, as well as ongoing sessions with a psychiatrist.
The bankrupt former property developer rose to notoriety after his lavish wedding in western Sydney shut down an entire street in 2015.
The day carried a reported price tag of $1 million.