Jon Adgemis pleads guilty to drink-driving in Sydney’s east
Jon Adgemis, owner of debt-laden Public Hospitality Group, pleaded guilty on Monday afternoon to drink-driving in Sydney’s eastern suburbs late last year.
The former KPMGt dealmaker turned hospitality investor returned a low range drink-driving breath test when he was stopped by police in November. It is the second time he has been charged with a drink-driving offence.
Mr Adgemis was not present at court in person on Monday for his guilty plea. His legal representative, Murphy’s Lawyers Bryan Wrench, appeared in court on his behalf. In recent years, Mr Wrench has represented heiress Savannah Daisley, former NRL star Sam Burgess and Australian Idol star Shannon Noll among others.
Public Hospitality Group’s Jon Adgemis and Megan MacKenzie at the Australian Open last week. Jesse Marlow
Mr Adgemis will be sentenced in March and will attend a drink-driving offenders program.
The former investment banker, who has become known in Sydney for his fast cars and high-profile girlfriends, is no stranger to legal troubles. Mr Adgemis has repeatedly been hit with civil lawsuits for alleged unpaid loans. The latest of these civil lawsuits was by Richard Gazal, the son of late rag trader Joe Gazal, who sued Mr Adgemis before Christmas for alleged unpaid loans. At the time, Mr Adgemis told The AustralianFinancial Review that the commercial matter was close to being resolved.
Bruce Gordon, the billionaire businessman, and China’s Aqualand developers also filed lawsuits in 2020 and 2021, respectively, alleging they were owned millions of dollars in loan repayments by Mr Adgemis. Both of these cases have since been settled.
The guilty plea comes a week after the Financial Review’s Street Talk column reported that Public Hospitality Group’s pubs and hotels were seeking a $500 million debt refinancing from Bain Capital and Sydney private debt investor Madigan Capital.
The hospitality group, which has about 20 properties, has been struggling with cash flow problems since early last year. Street Talk reported in November that Macquarie sold its exposure to the group to Deutsche Bank and credit investor Muzinich & Co.
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Campbell Kwan is the commercial property reporter for The Australian Financial Review, based in the Sydney newsroom. He was previously the breaking news reporter. Email Campbell at campbell.kwan@afr.com
