South Australia’s Polites family is entangled in a legal dispute over the estate of its late matriarch, Florence Polites, with her convicted drug-importer grandson, Markas Salkanovic, seeking a greater portion of her substantial wealth.
Anyone visiting Adelaide can’t help but notice the Polites name gracing many of the city’s prominent buildings. The Advertiser reported on Wednesday that “the state’s wealthiest families are embroiled in a new legal battle over the multimillion-dollar will of their empire’s late matriarch.”
Florence Gemenis Polites, who was married to Adelaide property mogul the late-Con Polites, passed away in March at the age of 102. Now, her grandson, 54-year-old Markas Salkanovic, who has a criminal history as a convicted drug importer, is suing for more money from her estate, ahead of changes to inheritance laws in three weeks.
Despite objections from the Polites family, Salkanovic, who has faced accusations of “abuse and harassment” towards relatives, won his bid on Tuesday for an administrator to probe whether the 1999 will was “insolvent.”
The Advertiser notes that Salkanovic, who has been involved in family disputes—including a disturbing attack on his grandfather’s grave—has not guaranteed financial backing for his legal proceedings.
The Supreme Court heard claims that two cousins of Salkanovic were assisting him after they filed a lawsuit for access to family trust records last year. Documents presented in court suggest that the late Mrs Polites, a great-grandmother whose son George, 70, is also a property tycoon, possessed assets valued at over $1.5 million, including shares and property interests.
The estate, which has yet to be granted probate, is burdened with debts exceeding $4.4 million. George Polites testified that this debt, totaling more than $2.8 million, was used to cover “living expenses” for his mother to stay in her home until her death.
Salkanovic’s legal representative, Graham Edmonds-Wilson KC, raised concerns in court about shares and other interests being moved from the estate shortly after Florence’s passing. These were transferred to another family company, possibly to alleviate the debt, he suggested. Edmonds-Wilson argued, “The estate of the deceased is currently in limbo… and shrouded in ambiguity.” He emphasized the need for the court to appoint an independent administrator to preserve and protect the estate.
Salkanovic, who narrowly avoided jail time following a 2019 drug importation case, was listed in his mother’s will but is now seeking an urgent inheritance claim before a new Succession Act comes into force on January 1. The new law will make it easier for stepchildren to make claims but harder for grandchildren to seek inheritance.
Edmonds-Wilson did not clarify what exactly his client would be applying for. The court was also informed that Salkanovic, who has held several positions within the family business, had already received financial assistance.
George Polites’s barrister, Dick Whitington KC, questioned Salkanovic’s behavior when living in the family’s apartments, but declined to present further details. Whitington also alleged that a Range Rover had been damaged and that Salkanovic had been given a Mercedes Benz after his drug-related arrest in 2015, resulting in a “cut-off” from the family.
In response, Edmonds-Wilson maintained that Salkanovic’s behaviour should not affect his legal claims to the will. Whitington accused George’s twin sons, Marcus and Alex (Con), both 40, of supporting Salkanovic financially, which allowed him to hire a senior counsel barrister despite his claims of financial difficulty.
In court on Tuesday, Marcus Polites, also a property developer, denied assisting his cousin and stated, “I haven’t discussed it, haven’t considered it,” when asked if he was seeking more money from the estate.
