All six men allegedly involved in the kidnapping of Stuart MacGill have now denied their role in detaining the former Australian Test spinner.
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Son Minh Nguyen, 45, was arraigned on Friday on a charge that he, together with five others, detained MacGill on April 21, 2021 to extort money and/or information.
"Not guilty, Your Honour," said Nguyen in Sydney's Downing Centre District Court.
Nguyen wore a white shirt with headphones draped around his neck when he made the plea.
He appeared in court alongside lawyers for his co-accused, brothers Frederick and Richard Schaaf, their cousin Elijah Schaaf, MacGill's brother-in-law Marino Sotiropoulos and Vaeluagaomatagi Feilo.
All six men allegedly involved in the kidnapping have now pleaded not guilty to their claimed roles in the criminal scheme.
Judge Warwick Hunt adjourned all six cases until February 24 to give crown prosecutors the chance to see how MacGill would plead in his own court case.
The ex-bowler has been hit with one charge relating to a supply of cocaine that led to the purported kidnapping.
While the Schaafs, Sotiropoulos and Feilo had been scheduled to stand trial in October, this was postponed after police arrested the former international cricketer.
MacGill claims he was repeatedly punched in the head during the alleged kidnapping, causing him to become concussed.
He has said he was forced into a car at Cremorne on Sydney's north shore and taken to Bringelly, south of Sydney.
Three assailants allegedly tried to extort money from him before dropping him at Belmore about an hour later.
Australian Associated Press
