Sam Aziz: Former City of Casey councillor ‘no longer working’ at Cairo school
He flew to Egypt after he was accused of receiving kickbacks from developers. But under siege former City of Casey councillor Sam Aziz is no longer working at the Bloom Business School in Cairo, it has been revealed.
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Exclusive: Under siege former Victorian councillor Sam Aziz is “no longer working” at Bloom Business School in Cairo.
Aziz flew overseas late last year and has so far avoided giving public evidence to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) inquiry investigating allegations developer John Woodman bribed Cr Aziz and other City of Casey councillors in exchange for favourable planning decisions.
The inquiry previously heard Cr Aziz received nearly $1 million from Mr Woodman, with the bulk of that money delivered in cash-filled suitcases.
A News Corp investigation has found Aziz has been removed from the company’s website, and there are now questions about how he will support himself after losing the income from the full-time job.
Mr Aziz flew to Egypt after he was accused of receiving kickbacks from developers.
He had claimed that he was not well enough to fly back to Melbourne because of a heart condition, but News Corp reported last week that he was working at the business school.
IBAC hearings continue into the corruption inquiry this week with more damaging revelations expected to come out.
However, it remains unclear whether Mr Aziz will ever return to Australia to face investigators.
Mr Aziz has been accused of receiving $900,000 from developer John Woodman while repeatedly voting for his property developments to be approved while he was on Casey Council.
Bloom Business School revealed early on Monday Australian time that it had cut ties with Mr Aziz.
A female staff member, who declined to give her name, said: “He’s not working with the Bloom business school. I don’t know anything.”
When pressed about why he had left, the staffer added: “He’s not working with us any more, unfortunately that’s all I can say, bye, bye.”
Sources in Cairo said that Aziz had not been seen at the Bloom Business School for several weeks, however they confirmed he had been working there previously.
His profile was prominent on the school’s website in recent weeks but has been taken down.
Mr Aziz had been due to teach there until at least July this year as he tried to build a life in his former homeland.
He had been starting a new life with his new wife Ageya before the scandal broke
He married his new wife Ageya in December 2018 at St John’s Anglican Church in Toorak, followed by a reception in Brighton.
Mr Aziz had two sons from his previous marriage and his new wife had three daughters.
The loss of the job at Bloom Business School would be putting a strain on Mr Aziz’s finances after he resigned from his $30,000 per year council job last month.
The Victorian State Government sacked the Casey Council following the allegations.
He was also hit with a bitter divorce from his ex-wife, who is a successful dentist, and had claimed that some of the money he received from Mr Woodman was actually a loan that he had given the developer.
His personal website makes no mention of the scandal, or his life in Egypt.
“Cr Aziz is a passionate advocate for economic growth and business development,” the website says.
“At the conclusion of his third Mayoral term in 2017, Cr Aziz established a new private consulting business, Global Business Advisory PTY LTD, which provides management advice to the business community to help them grow and prosper, taking full advantage of innovation and the digital economy.
“Cr Aziz is also a strong advocate for social justice, and is a member of Amnesty International.”
IBAC Commissioner Robert Redlich said there were concerns about a wider, systemic problems with Victoria’s planning system as he announced a second round of hearings to take place this week.
“This IBAC investigation is also looking into the broader systemic issues impacting on the integrity of our planning process, including an examination of the integrity of current donation laws, and how the troubling conduct evidenced in this investigation, and the potential adverse impact this has on our community, can be stopped wherever it is likely to occur.
“Public hearings are a critical tool in exposing and preventing public sector corruption and misconduct. They help educate the public sector and community about the impact of corruption and misconduct and importantly, how it can be prevented.”
Mr Aziz did not return calls.
Originally published as Sam Aziz: Former City of Casey councillor ‘no longer working’ at Cairo school