[1] In February 2022, El-Halabi resigned as a councillor after being charged with conspiracy to cheat and defraud for allegedly tampering with the council election in his ward.
[1] On 10 February 2022, El-Halabi was being charged by Victoria Police with conspiracy to cheat and defraud for allegedly tampering with the election in his ward.
[2] He was replaced via countback the following month by Socialist Alliance's Monica Harte.
[6] El-Halabi, his wife Dianna and his daughter Tania, were alleged to have stole multiple ballot papers and lodged them with the Victorian Electoral Commission, therefore prejudicing the election result.
[7] On 31 March 2023, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) found that El-Halabi was unduly elected, but the election of the 3 other councillors to North-West Ward was not affected by the inclusion of fraudulent ballots in the count.