Category Archives: Independent Commission Against Corruption

Liberal operatives discussed whether to buy Porsche or Ferrari with developer’s payments, Icac hears

Posted on by

Rightwing NSW powerbrokers are alleged to have received illegal political donations from fugitive developer

Two Liberal operatives traded photos and messages about whether to buy a Porsche or a Ferrari with payments they received for Toplace projects they got approved via a New South Wales government fast-track development process.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption on Monday heard more evidence from lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood, a principal of Beckington Consulting, who is alleged to have shared in $2m in payments from the fugitive developer Jean Nassif, owner of the now collapsed Toplace.

Continue reading...

Inside knowledge or ‘making stuff up’? Charles Perrottet’s advice to Jean Nassif put under microscope by Icac

Posted on by

Brother of former treasurer and premier faces questions about texts that appear to indicate he was aware of fast-tracking policy before it was announced

Did the former premier’s brother, Charles Perrottet, have prior knowledge of a Covid-era New South Wales government policy to introduce a fast track to approve major developments?

Did he take steps to ensure that developments owned by the fugitive developer, Jean Nassif, were successful through the fast track?

Continue reading...

Charles Perrottet becomes Icac’s main character amid claims of hidden payments and political hit jobs

Posted on by

The brother of former premier questioned over what, if anything, was done in return for $2m from developer turned fugitive Jean Nassif

Finally, we are hearing from one of the central characters, Charles Perrottet, in a saga that has occupied the Independent Commission against Corruption (Icac) for nearly four years.

It began with the dismissal of the Hills Shire council and a late night 2022 speech in NSW parliament alleging secret payments from a developer. It pirouetted to a pressure campaign allegedly to remove the then NSW building commissioner, and ended with real world impacts: defective high-rise buildings and thousands of unhappy homebuyers, with the developer nowhere to be seen.

Continue reading...

Cults, setups and rumours: years after their downfalls, former NSW Liberal MPs are exacting revenge

Posted on by

David Elliott and Eleni Petinos believe they were brought down by their own party. The Icac hearing has given them a chance to set the record straight

Revenge, they say, is a dish best served cold.

It’s been almost four years since the former New South Wales MP, David Elliott, announced that he would not seek preselection for a seat in the Hills in greater Sydney after his own seat was abolished. He had realised that, thanks to branch stacking in his area, he stood no chance of securing another.

Continue reading...

‘You have got to go’: former NSW minister tells Icac ‘something strange at play’ when she was sacked by Perrottet

Posted on by

Eleni Petinos tells inquiry her sacking as a minister in Dominic Perrottet’s government was potentially motivated by her reluctance to get rid of the building commissioner

The former New South Wales fair trading minister Eleni Petinos has given evidence at a corruption inquiry that she may have been used by fellow Liberals to try to get rid of the building commissioner David Chandler, recounting numerous attempts in 2022 to persuade her he was “dodgy” and should be sacked.

She has also told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) inquiry that her subsequent sacking as a minister in the Dominic Perrottet government in July 2022 – allegedly for bullying staff – was unfair and potentially motivated by her reluctance to sack the building commissioner.

Continue reading...

‘Did you send that report?’ The Icac bombshell that came late for Damien Tudehope

Posted on by

The former Liberal finance minister was questioned by Icac counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer, on Tuesday

The bombshell came in the last five minutes of former finance minister and rightwing powerbroker Damien Tudehope’s examination before the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac).

At 3.30pm on Tuesday, Tudehope was shown an email which he sent in February 2023, attaching a leaked draft parliamentary report into branch stacking in the Hills area by the Reformers, the shadowy group at the centre of Icac’s Operation Rosny.

Continue reading...

Angus Taylor has inadvertently taken centre stage in an Icac hearing – and the fallout could be profound

Posted on by

If the opposition leader was funding one side of a vicious factional war, it would be hard for many in the party to stomach

Independent Commission against Corruption inquiries have an uncanny tendency to sprawl in unexpected directions.

Just ask former New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, who was caught on tape with her secret boyfriend, former NSW MP Daryl Maguire, during an investigation into his dealings with developers. Or former premier Barry O’Farrell, who was tripped up over a bottle of Penfolds Grange during an inquiry into state water contracts.

Continue reading...

NSW prosecutors launch proceedings against Labor officials accused of disguising donations to Chris Minns

Posted on by

Labor MP Ernest Wong and restaurateur Jonathan Yee are facing court over allegedly circumventing election funding laws

New South Wales prosecutors have launched proceedings against two state Labor officials after they allegedly disguised donations to Chris Minns during his election campaign almost a decade ago.

On Tuesday, the NSW Electoral Commission revealed the director of public prosecution had begun proceedings against former Labor MP Ernest Wong and restaurateur Jonathan Yee. The commission commenced an investigation in 2019 into a “potential scheme to circumvent” election funding laws during the campaign to elect Minns for the seat of Kogarah.

Continue reading...

Lobbying rules in NSW are woefully inadequate but Icac’s calls for reform keep getting ignored

Posted on by

The state’s corruption watchdog is up against the age-old dynamic of cosy relationships: no one on the inside of politics wants to change

Australia’s parliaments aren’t just filled with MPs, staff and media – but also armies of lobbyists seeking an audience or a coffee with the people who can affect their interests with the stroke of a pen.

Millions of dollars are at stake. Will the government rezone land? Tweak a law that makes an activity legal? Exempt an activity from tax or grant an environmental approval?

Continue reading...

Former NSW MP Daryl Maguire found guilty of misleading corruption inquiry

Posted on by

Ex-partner of former premier Gladys Berejiklian misled Icac probe over $48m property development, magistrate finds

Ex-Liberal MP Daryl Maguire has been found guilty of misleading a corruption probe about benefits expected from a $48m property development sale.

The former member for Wagga Wagga, whose clandestine relationship with ex-NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian led to her political downfall, appeared at Sydney’s Downing Centre Court for the verdict on Friday.

Continue reading...

NSW planning official referred to corruption watchdog Icac over house purchase allegation

Posted on by

Liberal MP Alister Henskens used parliamentary privilege to accuse unnamed bureaucrat of using inside knowledge to purchase property for potential profit

The New South Wales government will refer claims of serious misconduct by a senior planning bureaucrat to the corruption watchdog Icac after concerns were raised by a former Coalition minister speaking under parliamentary privilege.

The Liberal MP for Wahroonga, Alister Henskens, on Thursday evening told parliament he had received “credible evidence” to suggest the planning department official had used insider information for personal gain through the government’s housing plan.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Daryl Maguire had ‘emotional hold’ over Gladys Berejiklian, Icac lawyer tells court

Posted on by

The disgraced MP for Wagga was a ‘special kind of serial pest’ but ex-premier’s shared vision of the future with him clouded her judgment, court hears

Gladys Berejiklian’s former boyfriend, the disgraced ex-MP Daryl Maguire, was a “special kind of serial pest” who had an “emotional hold” over the former state premier, a lawyer representing the New South Wales corruption watchdog has told a court.

Defending the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s findings of corrupt conduct on the part of Berejiklian, Stephen Free SC told the court of appeal Berejiklian’s “vision for her future” with her Liberal colleague had impacted her judgment.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Gladys Berejiklian is fighting to clear her name after Icac’s adverse findings. Is it a risk worth taking?

Posted on by

The former NSW premier will launch her legal appeal next month, but some say the extended public attention may further damage her reputation

Using the courts to clear one’s reputation can seem like a logical path, but it can also backfire spectacularly.

Even victory can prove pyrrhic, as waves of publicity accompanying every court appearance lead to a retelling of the original slur.

Continue reading...

Gladys Berejiklian argues Icac finding invalid because commissioner’s term had ended

Posted on by

Former NSW premier contends Ruth McColl was not authorised to complete report – and that corruption finding not supported by evidence

The former New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, will contend that the commissioner who found she had engaged in serious corrupt conduct was not authorised to make the decision, and the finding is invalid.

Berejiklian filed a summons for a judicial review in the NSW court of appeal last week in relation to findings of serious corrupt conduct made against her by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) in Operation Keppel.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

New Icac powers spark concerns as NSW opposition flags move to stop ‘reckless’ change

Posted on by

Complaints from Liberals and some crossbench MPs come after watchdog asked to use illegally obtained recordings in ongoing investigation

Special powers handed to the New South Wales corruption watchdog to use illegally obtained recordings have been described as “concerning”, with the opposition and members of the crossbench vowing to try to stop them from proceeding.

The government granted the powers to the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Wednesday to assist it with an ongoing investigation in response to a request from its chief commissioner, John Hatzistergos.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Icac given power to use illegally obtained recordings in NSW corruption investigations

Posted on by

State government grants new power to assist watchdog after request from chief commissioner John Hatzistergos

The New South Wales corruption watchdog has been granted the power to use in its investigations recordings that have been obtained illegally by third parties.

The state government on Wednesday gave the Independent Commission Against Corruption the new power to assist it with an ongoing investigation after a request from its chief commissioner, John Hatzistergos.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Daryl Maguire’s lawyers accuse media of stalking, unsafe U-turns and spooking horses

Posted on by

Oddly worded statement attacks unnamed outlets for alleged behaviour after Icac findings against former MP and his former partner Gladys Berejiklian

Lawyers for Daryl Maguire have attacked journalists for their alleged behaviour since damning corruption findings were made against the former Wagga Wagga MP last week, issuing a strangely worded statement accusing unnamed “media” of “unsafe u turns”, spooking “valuable horses” and trespassing on government-owned rail corridors, among other things.

Maguire’s lawyers also praise their client’s efforts to secure money for Wagga, including his pursuit of grants and hospital funding that were at the centre of Icac’s corruption investigation.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Icac found Gladys Berejiklian engaged in corrupt conduct. So why won’t she be prosecuted?

Posted on by

Her former boyfriend Daryl Maguire may face charges, but proving criminal activity by the former premier would be difficult

On Thursday, the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption dealt a blow to the legacy of former premier Gladys Berejiklian in ruling she engaged in serious corrupt conduct while in office.

Icac’s Operation Keppel also found her ex-boyfriend and former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire, as well as two other individuals, engaged in corrupt conduct and is seeking advice on whether any prosecution should be commenced against the three.

Continue reading...

Gladys Berejiklian Icac report live updates: Chris Minns says findings took ‘way too long’ as Matt Kean criticises ‘ridiculous display’ – latest news

Posted on by

Icac finds former premier and Daryl Maguire engaged in ‘serious corrupt conduct’, but says it does not want the DPP to consider prosecuting Berejiklian. Follow live updates

We are waiting on the publication of the Icac report. But it appears the Icac website has crashed under the load.

Stay with us. We will bring you the findings as soon as we possibly can.

Continue reading...

Australia news live: Tanya Plibersek announces audit of 1,000 environmental offset sites to check if they are delivering on promises

Posted on by

Treasurer Jim Chalmers wants to maintain strong budget position while rolling out existing policies; federal government cancels satellite program. Follow the day’s news live

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, denies Australia’s first budget surplus in more than a decade comes at the expense of under-pressure households as the cost of living rises, AAP reports.

Chalmers has confirmed there will be a larger surplus for the 2022/23 financial year than predicted in last month’s federal budget.

By getting the budget in much better nick by finding savings ... it actually makes it possible from that much stronger foundation to provide the $15bn of cost-of-living relief that we had in the budget.

Continue reading...