Nosir Kabite and Craig Izzard: Sentence for bribe and asbestos dumping
A corrupt businessman and council investigator worked together to illegally dump waste and asbestos to make money. But the pair came unstuck and have now been handed their punishment.
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A corrupt businessman who bribed a council investigator and former NRL player to turn a blind eye to illegal dumping of waste and asbestos in Sydney’s northwest has narrowly avoided being sent to prison.
Businessman Nosir Kabite, 50, paid investigator Craig Izzard, 56, thousands of dollars during 2015 and 2016 to help him illegally dump waste.
Izzard – a former NRL player who represented the Penrith Panthers and Parramatta Eels – was employed by Penrith City Council at the time of the offences and was working as a regional illegal dumping squad (RIDS) officer in western Sydney.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption found Izzard corrupt in 2017 and both men were later charged with criminal offences.
Izzard was sentenced in April and Kabite was sentenced late last month in the NSW District Court including for agent corruptly solicit benefit (between $5000 and $15,000) and corruptly give or offer to other benefit (between $5000 and $15,000).
The pair were convicted and both received sentences of two and half years imprisonment to be served by way of intensive correction in the community.
The agreed facts stated Kabite was involved in the excavation and landfill industry and his name was on a lease for one of the sites at 81 Riverstone Pde in Vineyard in late 2015.
The lease included a condition that no hazardous or contaminated waste was to be brought onto the site.
However, a neighbour observed Kabite using the site to dump “demolition material” and made a complaint.
Izzard pretended to investigate but was being paid by Kabite to allow the illegal dumping to continue, the agreed facts stated.
Izzard even tried to convince a property manager and real estate agent not to evict Kabite, and warned Kabite if people were coming to inspect the site.
The agreed facts stated Izzard received weekly payments in return which in one case was $2000.
Despite Izzard’s best efforts to protect him, Kabite was evicted from the site in February 2016 after the property manager had an assessment of the site completed.
“The report indicated that the site was contaminated by a variety of contaminants including asbestos,” the agreed facts stated.
Kabite had been receiving payments from customers who used the site to dump material including asbestos.
“Mr Kabite indicated to (one customer) that he had someone in the council who protected him and ‘no-one could touch him’,” the agreed facts stated.
An ICAC investigation was underway at the time and phone intercepts between Izzard and Kabite revealed the pair would use the term “drinks” as a code word for payments.
In one intercepted message, Izzard asked Kabite “we can get a drink, hey, today?” to which Kabite replied “yeah of course”.
The pair had also been working together to try and dump illegal material at another site at Rossmore in Sydney’s southwest, and Izzard had accepted a bribe of $10,000 through Kabite and Kabite’s associate Ibrahim Beydoun, the agreed facts stated.
Izzard was sacked in March 2016.
Kabite, from Constitution Hill, was ordered to home detention for the period of 18 months as part of his sentence on July 24 having pleaded guilty to corruptly give or offer to other benefit (between $5000 and $15,000) and aid and abet holder of public office misconduct him or herself.
Izzard, from Pitt Town, was ordered to perform 750 hours community service work as part of his sentence in April having pleaded guilty to agent corruptly solicit benefit (between $5000 and $15000) and holder of public office misconduct him or herself.