Angelo Tsirekas, Gary Sawyer: ICAC launch public inquiry into Canada Bay Council corruption allegations
ICAC is set to investigate additional corruption allegations surrounding City of Canada Bay mayor Angelo Tsirekas, linking former general manager Gary Sawyer to the inquiry.
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The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption has revealed it will investigate allegations of corrupution against former City of Canada Bay general manager Gary Sawyer — following the announcement of an inquiry into mayor Angelo Tsirekas this month.
ICAC announced an inquiry investigating allegations of corruption on April 26 — looking into the conduct of Mayor Tsirekas dating back to 2012.
In a statement on Wednesday, April 20, an ICAC spokeswoman said the inquiry would also investigate claims that, between May 2015 and January 2018, Gary Sawyer, former General Manager of the City of Canada Bay Council, “partially and dishonestly exercised his official functions and failed to disclose the nature of his relationship with Francesco Colacicco, in relation to the sale of Council property at 231 Victoria Road, Drummoyne, and the associated development application”.
“The Commission has also amended the allegation that City of Canada Bay Mayor Councillor Angelo Tsirekas has partially and dishonestly exercised his official functions and failed to disclose the nature of his relationship with Mr Colacicco, in relation to the sale of Council Property at 231 Victoria Road, Drummoyne, and development applications/planning proposals associated with Mr Colacicco, in return for a financial benefit, to be since 2015, rather than 2011,” the spokesman said.
The inquiry comes five months after The Saturday Telegraph revealed his close links to those developers proposing a lucrative plan to re-shape the suburb of Rhodes worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
One of the developments would have seen the last free-standing home in the suburb demolished to make way for a huge tower block on lucrative land at Mary St within the peninsula suburb.
Instead the developer iProsperity’s owner Michael Gu mysteriously vanished in 2019 owing millions and the site remains vacant tp this day.
The allegations include dishonestly exercising his official function and title, failing to declare property and conflict of interests, and for accepting benefits, among others.
One matter being investigated dates back a decade and alleges since 2012 Mayor Tsirekas “partially exercised his official functions to favour the interests of Billbergia Pty Ltd, Prolet Pty Ltd and Joseph Chidiac”, in relation to planning matters.
ICAC alleges that the mayor “deliberately failed to declare or properly manage any conflict of interest” arising from his relationships with the mentioned parties.
ICAC also allege since 2015 Mayor Tsirekas had “partially exercised his official functions to favour the interests of Frank Bruzzano”, in relation to a development application for 168-172 Victoria Rd, Drummoyne, and that the mayor deliberately failed to declare or properly manage any conflict of interest arising from his relationship with Mr Bruzzano.
The allegations made by ICAC against the mayor, which will all be investigated in the announced inquiry, also include the allegation that since 2015, Mayor Tsirekas “sought, and/or accepted benefits, as an inducement or reward for partially and dishonestly exercising his official functions to favour the interests of I-Prosperity Group and Mr Chidiac”, in relation to planning matters affecting 1-9 Marquet Street and 4 Mary Street, Rhodes.
ICAC also alleges that the mayor deliberately failed to declare or properly manage any conflict of interest arising from his relationships with representatives of I-Prosperity Group and Mr Chidiac.
A line of ICAC’s inquiry will look at what I-Prosperity Group and Mr Chidiac, since 2015, have allegedly provided to Mayor Tsirekas.
“Since 2015, I-Prosperity Group and Mr Chidiac have allegedly provided benefits, including overseas flights and accommodation, to Councillor Tsirekas as a reward or inducement to favour their interests in relation to Council decisions regarding planning matters affecting 1-9 Marquet Street and 4 Mary Street, Rhodes,” ICAC said.
The allegations made by ICAC don’t stop there.
Another allegation is that Mayor Tsirekas “partially and dishonestly exercised his official functions and failed to disclose the nature of his relationship with Francesco Colacicco”. This allegation is in relation to the sale of Council property at 231 Victoria Road, Drummoyne, and development applications/planning proposals associated with Mr Colacicco, “in return for a financial benefit (for Mayor Tsirekas)”.
The independent mayor, who was re-elected by the residents of Canada Bay for a fifth term in the role following the December Local Government Elections, was referenced in the ongoing ICAC inquiry into former Sport, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans Minister and Drummoyne MP John Sidoti during hearings in April 2021.
At the time, a witness alleged to ICAC that Cr Tsirekas had “manipulated” an Urban Design Study for Five Dock to “exclude” a property owned by Mr Sidoti from the master plan.
He has never responded to these allegations.
The witness also raised allegations of an “acrimonious relationship” between the mayor and the local MP in evidence to ICAC.
Following his re-election in December, Cr Tsirekas said “Serving this community has been my life and it means the world to me that I have again been honoured with your trust”.
“We have a huge term of Council coming up,” he said. ”From the delivery of the most significant infrastructure project this Council has ever delivered, Concord Oval, to improving and delivering high-quality core services for our entire community – we’ll be working every day to ensure our community has the standard of local government it deserves.”
NewsLocal understands there is no legal mechanism requiring him to step aside during proceedings, however on Tuesday, the mayor told the council he would be taking a leave of absence until May 24 as ICAC begins a four-week public inquiry.
“Council is aware that the Independent Commission Against Corruption has announced that it is holding a public inquiry, commencing on Tuesday 26th April 2022, with this inquiry being part of an investigation concerning the Mayor of the City of Canada Bay,” a council spokesman said. “We are not able to make a comment on this inquiry at this time.”
Local Government Minister Wendy Tuckerman was contacted for comment.
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