Former Whitehorse mayor George Droutsas has been cleared of stacking the 2005 council election, the ABC reports.
It is a huge relief for myself personally and for my family.
Yesterday, a Victorian County Court judge threw out the case against the former mayor, who was accused of stacking the Whitehorse council elections with dummy candidates.
The ABC reported that four of Mr Droutsas’ friends claimed they were duped into signing documents with the Victorian Electoral commission, nominating themselves for council.
But Judge Mark Taft ruled Mr Droutsas had no case to answer and discharged the jury, recording a not guilty verdict.
Mr Droutsas, who sold his house to pay for his legal costs, told the ABC the cost was worth it.
“It is a huge relief for myself personally and for my family,” he said.
He didn’t say whether he was planning on standing for council again, but said he had learned a bit from his time in politics.
“It is to bring a gun to a knife fight, and I certainly did that,” he said.
