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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Sarah Martin

Criminal charges against Australian debt collection company Panthera Finance dismissed

Panthera Consumer Affairs Victoria Australia
Australian money
Criminal charges brought against debt collection company Panthera Finance by Consumer Affairs Victoria have been dismissed. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Criminal charges against one of Australia’s biggest debt collection firms have been dismissed after the company successfully argued it was not technically engaged in debt collection.

In a committal hearing at the Melbourne magistrates’ court on Tuesday, magistrate Michelle Hodgson dismissed the charges against Panthera Finance and ordered that Consumer Affairs Victoria pay costs.

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