Antoine Doueihi: Former Strathfield mayor’s misconduct finding

A recently ousted Sydney mayor “misled” the public and the Office of Local Government after failing to declare his property portfolio while sitting on council, according to a tribunal.

Controversial former Strathfield mayor Antoine Doueihi has had several misconduct complaints against him upheld after his business interests as a developer came to light earlier this year.

Cr Doueihi, who was ousted as mayor last month, breached code of conduct provisions by failing to disclose his vast property interests during his time on council a tribunal has now found.

Those interests included shares in companies, including one behind a multimillion-dollar project in the Sutherland Shire that was never revealed.

The disclosures in question date back to 2017 and Cr Doueihi told the NSW Civil and Administration Tribunal he took full responsibility for “unintentionally” not disclosing his portfolio.

Cr Antoine Doueihi on holidays in Europe in 2019.

“It was simply my lack of knowledge of my corporate structure and I had relied on the advice of my former accountant and adviser,” he told the tribunal.

His claims that he was denied “procedural fairness” in some aspects of the case were thrown out.

Cr Doueihi’s lawyers previously agreed the former mayor had breached the Local Government Act five times and failed in having the case suppressed from being reported to the public by the media.

He told the tribunal that he left “everything to my accountant” and has claimed that the case stemmed from him getting “bad advice”.

A tribunal has found his failed to disclose his interests as a property developer.

Cr Doueihi is the director of 10 other companies.

The company in Sutherland was behind a $15 million plan to build a 24-apartment complex building.

The tribunal will sit again later this year to decide what penalty Cr Doueihi should receive, including whether he will be suspended from council.

Neighbouring Inner West Council mayor Darcy Byrne earlier this year had his pay suspended for three months at the same tribunal after it found he breached code of conduct provisions when he asked a councillor to apologise in the chamber, but not disclosing he sent her a legal threat that day.