Disgraced former politician Salim Mehajer has shared a powerful message with his supporters as he returns to social media after almost five years behind bars.
Bankrupt property developer and former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer, 39, walked free from John Morony Correctional Centre on Friday.
In 2023, while serving time for unrelated offences, Mehajer was convicted of a range of domestic violence offences against his ex-partner.
On Saturday morning, he shared the first post to his Instagram account since his release, sharing a photo of the words ‘I am forever grateful’ in black cursive letters.
‘I am fully committed to fulfilling the expectations placed before me,’ Mehajer wrote.
‘Additionally, I express my sincere appreciation for the unwavering support of my family and friends, as well as the dedication of my legal representative, who has consistently stood by me throughout this journey.’
Mehajer has almost 130,000 followers on Instagram but only follows 29 accounts.
After walking free on Friday, he headed straight to a cosmetic dentist in Hornsby in Sydney’s north to repair his prison teeth.
He briefly stopped to get a new driver’s licence from Service NSW in Westfield Parramatta before spending an hour getting the dental work.
The 39-year-old was notorious for his love of cosmetic work before his downfall, with gleaming Hollywood white teeth and apparent facial fillers his hallmark style.
He emerged from the clinic just after 1pm – wearing $900 Louis Vuitton sunglasses – but brushed off questions about his health through clenched lips with a muttered: ‘Good, thanks.’
The former politician had been sentenced to seven years and nine months behind bars for a range of offences including domestic violence against his ex-partner.
He was convicted of assaulting the victim by punching her in the head in his car, suffocating her with his hand over her nose and mouth until she passed out, crushing her hand as she held her phone and threatening to kill her mother.
His non-parole period of three years and nine months expired on Friday and the NSW Parole Board decided last month to grant his release.
Mehajer’s victim, referred to legally as MB, lashed the parole board’s decision to allow his release.
‘It is so unfair, so grossly unfair that the freedoms of the offender are put above the freedoms of the victims,’ she told Nine News in a statement on Friday.
‘We are left to rebuild our lives while they are handed back theirs. This isn’t justice.’
She said the consequences for domestic violence survivors ‘far outweigh’ the consequences of offending.
‘For some victims it is years and years of trauma, a lifetime of hiding. For others it is rebuilding themselves financially and emotionally after being defrauded or dragged through civil court,’ she said.
‘Many abusers use the legal system as an extension of abuse. The system is set up to facilitate this.
‘This is not a personal grievance. It is a systemic failure. One that must change.’
Mehajer’s release comes with conditions, including that he undergo drug and alcohol testing and participate in domestic violence programs if directed.
He can’t contact his domestic violence victim, communicate with any outlaw motorcycle gang bikies or associates and he can’t go to the Central Coast.
His parole conditions also include being of good behaviour, and ongoing treatment from a private psychologist.
The corrective services commissioner had opposed his release, citing a risk of reoffending, an ‘absence of insight’ and a lack of change in attitude.
Despite concerns relating to the environment he may find himself in once freed, the State Parole Authority calculated his risk of reoffending as ‘medium’.
Mehajer had been behind bars since November 2020, when he was jailed for lying to a court and has served back-to-back sentences for multiple offences.
He has previously claimed he was not given a fair trial while defending himself against the domestic violence charges.
He is due to appear in the Court of Criminal Appeal in August as part of his appeal against his domestic violence convictions.