TruthTheOnlyDefense
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Two men have been fined more than $100,000 after they illegally cleared and developed a piece of land in Sydney's North West for a religious site.
Mustapha Kara-Ali and Diaa Kara-Ali could be heard laughing after they were told they had escaped jail time on the contempt of court charges in the Land and Environment Court.
The men, who were part of a Muslim group they've called Diwan Al Dawla, were charged late last year for what a judge called a "flagrant" breach of the court orders.
They claimed to have a "religious issue with the court" and refused to attend, which led to their arrest in November.
They eventually pleaded guilty to disobeying the orders that they stop building structures on the land and demolish buildings, fences and flagpoles already put up on the Colo site.
Diaa Kara-Ali later told a corrections officer he now accepted they should have followed the rules.
"They need to be followed otherwise courts will lose their power."
The court heard the men had also since taken steps to adhere to some of the orders.
But both heckled neighbours and a council worker in court before today's sentence and said "it's ridiculous isn't it, all a joke".
One of the men also ranted and claimed "religious persecution" as he left court with his brother.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019
https://www.9news.com.au/national/s...elopment/245a93e7-ec8e-4aae-bfc8-6a6978b538f8