John Sidoti threatened to turn Liberal party against councillor: ICAC

A Sydney councillor felt “compromised” as NSW MP John Sidoti allegedly threatened to torpedo her political career unless she ticked off on his family‘s property development wishlist, ICAC has heard.

A Sydney councillor felt “compromised” as NSW MP John Sidoti allegedly threatened to torpedo her political career unless she ticked off on his family‘s property development wishlist, the corruption watchdog has heard.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption in investigating allegations Sidoti pushed the City of Canada Bay’s planning department to include his family’s properties in the redevelopment of Five Dock while he was a member in NSW Parliament.

He has denied wrongdoing.

John Sidoti and his legal team arriving at an ICAC hearing in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Mirjana Cestar was a Liberal Party Councillor during the years Sidoti allegedly leant on staff to get zoning changes made in his favour. She said she came under a “barrage” of pressure from the MP.

She told the ICAC, in her second day of evidence on Thursday, Sidoti threatened to pull strings in the Liberal Party to have her passed over for preselection at the next council election.

“My thinking at the time was ‘is it worth going through all this?’” she told the ICAC.

“I didn‘t want to put myself through it, I didn’t want to initiate any additional bad blood through the Liberal Party in the area.”

Ms Cestar, on Wednesday, told the commission Sidoti had threatened her position in a 2014 email about rezoning. In the email he said there were disgruntled shopkeepers “lining up to run for council next election if the proposal goes ahead in its current form”.

John Sidoti has denied any wrongdoing. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

She raised that with other Liberal councillors wondering out loud in a subsequent email if Sidoti was threatening her.

But the councillor said she didn‘t bring up Sidoti’s later threat to her preselection even though she felt she “was being compromised”.

“In my mind I thought this would pass,” she said.

“I‘ll do what’s right regardless. This will pass and it will all blow over - that was the approach I took.”

Ms Cestar said Sidoti‘s behaviour was like the boy who cried wolf - often making grandiose statements without concern about their impact.

“That‘s just John,” she said, explaining how she’d seen his alleged behaviour over her years of dealing with him.