The prosecution of Jason McLaren Jones
The prosecution of well-known hotelier Jason McLaren Jones has merit from a number of legal angles. As Mr. Jones's formally recognized business partner, Donato Ravida, for instance, shouldn't be reading about Mr. Jones's business dealings involving their shared assets in the media. In fact, the court was correct to advise against transaction agreements until all of the issues brought up by the partners had been resolved in court. The fact that Jones' attorney followed such a legal requirement shows that the businessman was tacitly guilty of all the accusations made against him.
Violation of commercial partnership laws and ethos
If it is true that approximately $700,000 worth of office furniture was or is being sold as part of Entrecote, then Mr. Jones contravened all commercial partnership laws and ethos. First, he should have made formal notification to Mr. Ravida, sought his approval and executed the sale taking into account the wishes of his business partner (Vedelago and Houston, 2017). Again, if he went ahead with the transaction and sold Ravida's property worth $700,000, he is liable for a refund and if found guilty, criminally culpable for first class fraud.
Mr. Jones' history of fraud and suspect commercial dealings
Mr. Jones' legal trajectory already brings out the image of an individual prone to fraud and suspect commercial dealings. Drawing the legally unviable management fees, failure to remit taxes and the inclusion of directors in a legally unsound manner confirms the possible reckless behavior synonymous with Mr. Jones. Indeed, relying on such a record, any judge can use that history to affect a halt on Jones' operations until all the cases are determined (Mäntysaari, 2009). The consistency in fraud activity streak confirms that Mr. Jones cannot confirm honesty as one of his virtues. All his companies and entities are dogged in money-related illegalities, a strong indicator that it is possible for him to do what he has done to his partners.
References
Mäntysaari, P. (2009). Commercial Law and the Theory of Management-Based Commercial Law. SSRN Electronic Journal.
Vedelago, C. and Houston, C. (2017). Restaurateur Jason M Jones in hot water again with business partners. [online] The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/restaurateur-jason-m-jones-in-hot-water-again-with-business-partners-20170803-gxok9m.html [Accessed 23 Oct. 2017].
