A FORMER St George bank lending officer

Ex-banker faces conspiracy, fraud charges | thetelegraph.com.au

Hiba Cornell outside the Downing Centre. Picture: Tracee Lea Source: The Daily Telegraph
A FORMER St George bank lending officer is fighting charges she was involved in a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud, which police allege involved inflated property values and fake documents totalling close to $5 million.

Hiba Cornell, 45, is facing a committal hearing in a Sydney court on 10 charges, including conspiracy to “cheat and defraud financial institutions of large sums of money”.

More than a dozen witnesses are expected to give evidence about her alleged activities, in which the Crown claims she assisted people take out loans worth more than $4 million.

Cornell, who worked in the banking and finance industry for 20 years, has been accused of conspiring with Mohamad Diab, Mohamad Mehajer and a National Australia Bank staffer Mohamad Sowaid to “cheat and defraud” NAB of $3.9 million using fake financial details.


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She has also been accused of ensuring the loan was approved by soliciting Mr Mehajer to bribe Mr Sowaid.

It’s alleged Mr Sowaid was paid $2,000 in “commission” for introducing that loan.

The court has heard one case related to a loan for Ahmad Hamze to buy a Bellvue Hill unit in 2006 when she was a loans officer for St George bank at Chester Hill.

Prosecutors allege Mrs Cornell verified Mr Hamze's claim that he was earning $89,976 a year working at a bakery in Arncliffe, but that he “was never employed at the bakery at the relevant time”.

The case continues before Magistrate Brian Maloney.