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A Brisbane barrister has lost the battle to regain his law licence due to his “irresponsible and reckless” approach to almost $640,000 in debts over loans, court orders and unpaid taxes.

Former Brisbane barrister Salvatore ‘Sam’ Di Carlo, 68, took action against the Bar Association of Queensland in October 2024, seeking to overturn its decision to refuse to renew his practising certificate.

The association argued Di Carlo was “not a fit a proper person” to practise law in Queensland due to multiple breaches of its rules.

Di Carlo failed to disclose in 2018 he had been fined $4000 for contempt of court because it “slipped his mind” and also failed to disclose health issues that could affect his abilities.

He also owed nearly $398,400 to the Australian Taxation Office in the form of income tax, GST interest and penalties.

The District Court in June ordered Di Carlo to provide a financial statement after it enforced a woman’s claim that he had not repaid the remaining $240,000 from cash loans granted between July and December 2015.

Di Carlo did not properly respond to the summons before giving notice of his bankruptcy in August 2024 and departing Australia on a flight to China just before the matter was due in court.

Justice Thomas Bradley handed down his judgment in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal this week, denying Di Carlo’s bid to get his law licence back.

The judge said Di Carlo, who had worked for 33 years as a barrister, knew his legal obligations and had shown a public disrespect for the District Court.

He said a person’s conduct was the surest guide to their character.

“By his conduct he showed himself unsuitable to share what (High Court Justice Frank Walters Kitto) called the privilege of the intimate relationship and intimate collaboration with the courts and with fellow members of the bar,” he said.

AAP