The corrupting of the building industry

Strange bedfellows: (From left) Islamic extremist Khaled Sharrouf, Bilal Fatrouni and Sydney businessman and crime figure George Alex, seen here with Mike Tyson. Photo: Supplied

Experienced staff at the Gold Coast hotel had long since learned to pretend not to see their clients' private little secrets. From sugar-daddies to unaccompanied escorts, guilty guests value discretion more than a welcoming smile at reception.

And so no one would have noticed two men, one wearing a tough-guy's scowl and the other the look of someone about to undergo root-canal work, walk purposely through the foyer to press number 26 on the hotel's lift.

In a room on that floor, a man, who always values discretion and privacy, was already waiting for a meeting that could not be held in public.

Best of times: George Alex (second from left, back row). Front row: Alex 'little Al' Taouil, Mick Gatto, Fat Ange and John Khoury. Photo: Supplied

He was Mick Gatto, known variously in Melbourne as a gangster, an industrial mediator and a charity fund-raiser.

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Gatto is a frequent visitor to the Gold Coast, often seen enjoying the sun and a cigar in a robe at the luxurious Versace Hotel.

But this was no holiday - it was business. And business was about to turn nasty.

In the lift heading up to where Gatto was waiting were George Alex, a building industry businessman and Kevin McHugh, a man, who according to court documents, was already terrified.

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The corrupting of the building industry