There's no way authorities can prove money that a Melbourne man allegedly sent to a member of a terrorist organisation in Syria was used to fund terrorism, a court has heard.
Hassan El Sabsabi, 24, is accused of sending $12,000 in seven payments to a person overseas to fund their travel to Syria and Turkey so they could join rebel faction Jabhat al-Nusra.
But Facebook chats obtained by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) between El Sabsabi and the suspected terrorist do not prove how the money was spent, defence lawyer Stewart Bayles told the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday.
Mr Bayles also said it also did not prove whether the overseas contact was indeed affiliated with terrorists.
El Sabsabi was arrested in September last year but the AFP began investigating him in February after they became aware he had sent money to an American contact through Western Union and Australia Post.
Mr Bayles has questioned why the AFP's counter-terrorism team did not bring El Sabsabi in earlier and question him about his activities.
"Why did you just let him continue to do what he was doing for seven or eight months after you became aware of it?" he said.
The police were still trying to establish El Sabsabi's link to the terrorist group, AFP agent Keith O'Toole told the court.
"We were investigating ... what the money was being used for and establishing El Sabsabi's knowledge of what the money was being used for," Mr O'Toole said.
The committal hearing to determine whether El Sabsabi will stand trial continues.
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