MAN ARRESTED ON CHARGE OF KIDNAPPING

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 October 1949, Page 5

MAN ARRESTED ON CHARGE OF KIDNAPPING

MELBOURNE, This Day (Rec. 10 a.m.). —A man has been arrested in connection with the Ravdell kidnapping and has been released on £ 1000 bail. He is Benjamin Gelbart, aged 29, described as a manufacturer and businessman. He is a distant relative by marriage of the Ravdell family. The Gelbart family arrived in •Australia 25 years ago, about the same time as the Ravdells migrated here from the Ukraine. Gelbart said that when the army began selling surplus war goods in New Guinea he went there and bought large quantities of materials. He did very well from these deals and in 1947 went on a business trip through North and South America. Last year he visited every country in Europe. For some time he has been engaged in a legal battle with the son of the kidnapped man over the payment of moneys alleged to be owing on goods delivered.

Gelbart denies all the charges and claims , that his arrest is ridiculous and preposterous because he had nothing to do with the kidnapping. He says his fight is with Maurice Ravdell,. not his father, and that he has a complete answer to all the charges. ■ In the litigation. now proceeding Maurice Ravdell will seek an order that Gelbart pay about £6OOO costs arising from an unsuccessful claim he made before a private arbitrator that Ravdell had embezzled £18,600. Gelbart. seeks to upset the arbitrator’s decision.