The Commonwealth Bank has failed again to dismiss a case brought by customers who claim they were the victims of a money laundering scam known as cuckoo smurfing and had funds seized as proceeds of crime.
The costs billed by Nando’s Australia’s law firm for work on a “straightforward” judgment debtor examination of a franchisee — totalling almost a fifth of the debt — have been slashed, with a court finding the costs manifestly excessive.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia will bring its second bid to dismiss a case brought by customers who claim they were the victims of “cuckoo-smurfing” and had funds seized as proceeds of crime because the bank breached its anti-money laundering obligations.
Nando’s Australia has been criticised for claiming that its costs in a dispute against a single franchisee could reach close to $2 million, with an associate judge saying the bill could kickstart a precedent that leads to “the end of litigation as we know it”.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has failed in its bid to dismiss a case brought by customers who claim they were the victims of “cuckoo-smurfing” and had funds seized as proceeds of crime because the bank breached its anti-money laundering obligations.