Financial crimes expert Nathan Lynch said someone linked to an outlaw motorcycle gang “would absolutely come up as a red flag” on the mint’s systems.
He told the ABC’s Four Corners that under anti-money laundering laws, staff should have investigated how the former bikie sourced the money.
But Brajkovich’s lawyer told 9News his client was only asked for a driver licence to link his name to a bank account.
“The mint had an obligation to make sure that it wasn’t criminal funds,” Lynch told 9News.
“And if it was, it needed to tell that to AUSTRAC, the federal financial intelligence unit.”
The unit launched an investigation into the mint last year when it suspected the state-owned refinery failed to report up to 5000 transactions, breaching its obligations under federal law.
“Failing to actually comply with that is itself a breach of serious criminal responsibility,” state Opposition Leader Shane Love said.
Premier and Treasurer Mark McGowan, who was responsible for the mint before it was shifted into Mines Minister Bill Johnston’s portfolio, labelled the failures as an administration bungle.
The Perth Mint is the only gold and silver refinery in the world owned by the government, meaning taxpayers would foot the bill for any fines, which could reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
An AUSTRAC audit will be handed down in the coming months but it’s unlikely the findings will be made public.