School principal accused of stealing $1.4million from the Department of Education in elaborate fraud scheme

A school principal is one of two men accused of masterminding an elaborate scheme that stole up to $1.4 million from the NSW Department of Education.

Rabieh Gharibeh, 37, and his brother-in-law Ahmed Charchouh, 38, were arrested in dramatic raids in Sydney’s west on Wednesday morning.

Police will allege that Gharibeh, the principal of Sir Joseph Banks High School, and Charcoah, who works in construction, mismanaged funds intended for maintenance and construction work between 2022 and 2024 using false invoices.

The pair are accused of stealing $1.4 million from the Department of Education through 86 separate invoices at two separate schools.

Gharibeh was the principal of Granville South Creative and Performing Arts High School in Guildford until the end of 2022 before transferring to Sir Joseph Banks High School in Revesby the following year.

There’s more to come.