Council
18 November, 2025
WIRE EXCLUSIVE: Historic Criminal Conviction for Council in the Land and Environment Court.
A former construction boss who was raided by police, had his building licence cancelled, and was previously banned from being a company director has been hit with the biggest court-ordered fine in council’s history.
Formerly disqualified construction industry director, Serge Golman and one of his companies, Lake House Bowral Pty Ltd, have been criminally convicted for development without DA consent on the multi-million dollar - Bowral luxury palazzo.
Situated across 40 hectares on Kimberley Drive, the nine-bedroom estate was purchased by Mr Golman and his wife, Victoria, for $7.5 million back in October 2020. Just two months later, on 14 December 2020, Mr Golman was disqualified from being a company director by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
The corporate watchdog disqualified Mr Golman from managing any corporation for four years, following the collapse of four of his companies.
ASIC found Mr Golman had acted improperly and failed to meet his obligations as a director, including withdrawing $1,658,477 against the interest of the company, failing to keep adequate books and records, and he directed one company to pay $999,568 to the benefit of his wife at a time he knew the company had “substantial tax debts”.
Following his disqualification, on 3 May 2023, the construction boss had his 30 year-old contractor licence cancelled by NSW Fair Trading, following disciplinary action. Whilst the details surrounding the disciplinary action are unknown, Fair Trading slapped a three-year ban from holding any authority in accordance with the Home Building Act 1989.
In the class-five criminal enforcement jurisdiction of the Land and Environment Court, court documents reveal that on 22 December 2021, Lake House Bowral purchased the Kimberley Drive estate for an undisclosed amount, however, Mr Golman’s wife, Victoria, was the sole director of Lake House Bowral.
Following the March 2022 floods, on 16 April 2022, Mr Golman, acting as the agent of the company his wife was the sole director of, directed significant works to be carried out without development consent.
For a period extending over 10 months, Mr Golman solicited third party contractors to undertake various unauthorised works throughout the property. For the main house, he constructed an extension, excavated at the rear of the house to build a retaining wall, and built an awning.
At the farming stables, he converted it into a second dwelling, including significant interior works that turned into a two-bed and three-bathroom home with living, dining, laundry and kitchen rooms.
The final unauthorised works undertaken by Mr Golman was a large excavation, that included the removal of 5,300 square metres of native forest, underlying soil and the imposition of fill.
Despite Victoria Golman (Mr Golman’s wife) being the sole director of the company that owned the property at the time of the criminal offences, Mrs Golman admitted that her husband was the nominee of the company. Mr Golman subsequently became the sole director of Lake House Bowral on 11 June 2025, following the end of his ASIC disqualification period six months earlier.
Wingecarribee Shire Council did not prosecute Victoria Golman and the Southern Wire makes no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Mrs Golman.
Mr Golman is no stranger to enforcement action, having been targeted by NSW Fair Trading, followed by a raid by NSW Police earlier this year along with his daughter.
On 6 February, armed officers and detectives from the organised crime squad raided the Bellevue Hill home of Mr Golman’s daughter, Stephanie Jandegian (nee Golman) and her husband with a no-knock warrant. Later that day, Mr Golman was on the receiving end of a targeted vehicle stop.
The raid on 6 February hit multiple properties throughout Sydney’s East and North Shore as a part of Strike Force Candice, targeting unexplained wealth and money laundering.
At the date of publication, no charges have been laid, however, NSW Police confirmed they seized mobile phones, nearly a kilogram of cocaine, approximately half a kilogram of silver bullion and more than $1 million in luxury goods across homes in Bellevue Hill, Elizabeth Bay, Woollahra, Dolans Bay and Mosman.
Last year, a landmark prosecution saw a fine of $135,000 for illegally clearing over five hectares of native vegetation in Canyonleigh, however, that has now been trumped by Mr Golman.
Following pleading guilty in the NSW Land and Environment Court, Justice Rachel Pepper fined Mr Golman $210,000 and his company, Lake House Bowral, $150,000, totalling $360,000. Additionally, Mr Golman and his company have been ordered to pay Council’s legal costs of the prosecution and to pay for a public notice detailing the criminal conviction.
Justice Pepper explained in her judgment that the collective fine amount for Mr Golman and Lake House Bowral was going to be $550,000, however, due to the application of the 25% sentencing discount for early pleads of guilty and the legal totality rule, this reduced the total payable.
Prior to being sentenced, Mr Golman hosted private viewings of the Kimberley Drive estate, hoping for an off-the-market sale, which scooped media attention in the Australian Financial Review’s (AFR) luxury property column for the $25 million price tag, an increase of $17.5 million since his original purchase back in 2020.
The property was listed with Matthew Anstee of Raine & Horne Southern Highlands as the “pinnacle of prestige country living”, initially offered as an all-inclusive sale with all furniture and a Bentley luxury car thrown-in.
The AFR editorial made no mention of Mr Golman pleading guilty to development without development consent, nor the upcoming sentencing hearing.
At the time of publication, the 40-hectare Kimberley Drive estate remains unsold.
Court orders reveal that Mr Golman will have to pay his fine to the registrar of the Land and Environment Court, but once received, the fine will be paid to Wingecarribee Shire Council. Council’s legal bill is yet to be determined.
Read More: Southern Highlands, Bowral