Canterbury-Bankstown mayor Khal Asfour slams NSW Parliamentary finding

A parliamentary inquiry has found Canterbury-Bankstown mayor Khal Asfour spending of ratepayers money were not in line with community expectations. Find out why Mr Asfour the inquiry as a “public lynching”.

Canterbury-Bankstown mayor Khal Asfour has labelled the findings of a NSW Parliamentary inquiry as “a joke” after the report found he misused thousands of ratepayers funds.

The report tabled on Monday evening found the mayor’s expense claims for designer suits, spa treatments and the costs of his Masters of Business Administration degree were “not in line with community expectations”.

“This is a public lynching and those responsible for producing this report should hang their heads in shame,” Mr Asfour said.

“We turned up and answered all they had to throw at us and after everything they were left with thin air. Nothing to see.”

The inquiry was launched following corruption allegations from Bankstown MP Tania Mihailuk and East Hills MP Wendy Lindsay.

Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour. Picture: Tim Hunter.

The inquiry found the relationship between councillors and property developers was “particularly flimsy” and has called for the Independent Commission Against Corruption to investigate further.

The committee found Mr Asfour had “close relationships with property developers” and this “may have influenced planning instruments and the positioning of infrastructure across the Canterbury Bankstown Council area”.

Mayor Khal Asfour described the findings as “a joke”. Picture: AAP/ Carmela Roche.

Mr Asfour said both he and council staff assisted the inquiry in producing more than 20,000 documents and made themselves available to answer questions.

“The key findings are a joke and the report makes a number of assertions and fallacies around relationships with developers that are based on no evidence or material presented to the committee,” Mr Asfour said.

The inquiry also recommended developer donation laws “may need tightening, including in relation to payments by third party lobbying firms”.

The inquiry further recommended the NSW Government to “review the potential for candidates in local government elections to receive funds from property developers” after they uncovered evidence of developers using “shell companies” to sidestep donation laws.