Labor Candidate Pulled out of Election Race Following Revelation About Lavish Personal Spending

Mayor of Canterbury, Khal Asfour speaks to media at a pop-up drive through vaccination clinic at Belmore Oval, in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 17, 2021. AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour has stepped down as a New South Wales Labor candidate after reports emerged about his lavish spending during a council trip in Tokyo.

The Daily Telegraph on Friday reported Asfour charged ratepayers $120 for a health spa treatment, claimed hundreds of dollars for alcohol and thousands of dollars for luxury clothing spent in Tokyo in 2015.