A nurse who defrauded Centrelink of almost $70,000 while holding a portfolio of property worth more than $3 million has been ordered by an appeals tribunal to repay the money. Marnya Idlabi, a mother of four from Auburn in NSW, was told by Centrelink she had to repay $69,018.48 worth of Austudy, Newstart Allowance and Parenting Payments after it discovered she was “a member of a couple” but was paid a pension at the single rate. It also found she had neglected to declare her ownership of properties at Auburn, Burwood and Bondi while receiving benefits. Ms Idlabi, who drives a late model BMW sedan, took Centrelink’s decision to the Social Securities Appeals Tribunal, but the repayment demand was upheld. Ms Idlabi, a nurse at an Auburn aged care facility, told the tribunal the Burwood and Bondi properties had been purchased in trust for her sister, Sarab Chami.
