Griffith Central is under administration but is trading as normal. Photo: Griffith Central Shopping Centre Facebook page.
The NSW Court of Appeal has brought an appeal by Griffith Central owner Frank Violi and his associated entity, F & L Violi, to an end after finding they failed to properly progress the case involving loans and mortgages linked to the shopping centre and debts said to exceed $80 million.
According to court documents, investment company GEMI 169 Pty Ltd and related entities claim they lent money secured against several properties, including Griffith Central and a Strathfield site, and are seeking repayment plus interest through civil proceedings.
At the centre of the case was whether Mr Violi knew about and authorised the loan arrangements and mortgages.
GEMI alleges Mr Violi authorised the loans and that Griffith Central was mortgaged as security. Mr Violi disputes this, maintaining he never knowingly entered into the arrangements and that the signatures on the documents were not his. He has previously described the matter as a “stitch-up” involving identity theft.
However, in a major Supreme Court ruling delivered in August 2025, Justice Elisabeth Peden found that although the disputed documents did not bear Mr Violi’s signature, GEMI had established that he was aware of and authorised the loans and mortgages. She ruled GEMI was “therefore entitled to enforce its mortgages, which secured the loaned money”.
Court documents reveal the total amounts secured under the disputed arrangements were said to exceed $80 million.
Mr Violi challenged the Supreme Court decision in the Court of Appeal. However, the appeal court did not reconsider the evidence, determine whether Mr Violi’s fraud claims were correct, or decide whether the original judgment was right or wrong.
Instead, the appeal was dismissed before being heard on its merits after the court found the appellants had repeatedly failed to progress the case according to the required timetable.
Representatives for Mr Violi indicated that the delays were caused by a severe shortage of funding, noting he had already exhausted more than $4 million in running his legal defence since 2025. Despite this financial strain, court documents show the appellants ultimately failed to provide required written submissions or appeal books. Furthermore, there was no legal appearance on behalf of the appellants at a key hearing dealing with whether the appeal should be dismissed.
The appeal court judge noted that depriving a litigant of the opportunity to have their case heard on its merits always carries an element of injustice, and even proceeded on the assumption that Mr Violi’s grounds of appeal were “reasonably arguable”. However, the court ultimately ruled that the ongoing delays and mounting legal costs for the respondents meant the matter could no longer be put on hold indefinitely.
The ruling carries implications for Griffith Central, which had been mortgaged as security and placed into external administration. However, it does not immediately change day-to-day operations at the town’s biggest shopping mall, which has remained open throughout the proceedings.
Region previously reported the mall was placed under external administration in May 2024, with Sydney restructuring specialist Andre Lakomy appointed receiver. When contacted to ask how this latest judgment may affect the future of the mall, Mr Lakomy said he had no comment. The shopping centre has continued trading as normal under his oversight.
The outcome of the appeal court’s judgment means the earlier Supreme Court findings remain in place, although the Court of Appeal itself did not rehear the mortgage dispute or make findings on the underlying fraud allegations.
Griffith Central opened in October 2007, becoming the biggest shopping centre the town had ever seen.
Originally owned by Melbourne-based investors, the centre was purchased by Mr Violi in 2019.
Gary Delpiano exactly! I’m happy to pay for my meal and drinks, but I have no desire to pay for… View