Former education ‘bigwig’ Nino Napoli spent thousands on toupee, IBAC told
SACKED Education Department “bigwig” Nino Napoli needed thousands of dollars to pay for his toupee, an anti-corruption inquiry has heard.
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SACKED Education Department “bigwig” Nino Napoli needed thousands of dollars to pay for his toupee, an anti-corruption inquiry has heard.
Mr Napoli was caught on a secret recording talking to his cousin, Luigi Squillacioti, about his hair bill.
Mr Squillacioti and his brother, Carlo, own companies through which at least $250,000 of department funds were funnelled at Mr Napoli’s instruction, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission has heard.
Ian Hill, QC, counsel assisting IBAC, asked Luigi Squillacioti on Wednesday: “Why did he want a couple of thousand for his hair? Or was that code for something else?”
“No, for his hair. He wears a toupee — you must realise that?” Mr Squillacioti said.
He said he put it on his credit card.
Mr Hill also played a recording of Mr Napoli talking to Carlo Squillacioti about a spreadsheet he wanted destroyed, saying it could put him and Jeff (Rosewarne, a former education official) “in f---ing jail”.
IBAC alleges Mr Napoli ripped off the department by having state schools pay false invoices created by associates including the Squillaciotis, and he got much of the money.
Luigi Squillacioti denied knowing of shonky payments.
IBAC also heard on Wednesday from Sharon Vandermeer, the former wife of Dominic Barba — whose sister, Josie, is married to Mr Napoli.
Mrs Vandermeer’s company, On The Ball Personnel, invoiced schools and the department for at least $333,000 from 2000 to 2011.
Some invoices were for employing Mr Napoli’s sons, Raffaele (Ralph) and Matthew, though it is alleged they did no work.
Mrs Vandermeer said Nino Napoli was “quite stressed”, “panicked” and “frightening” when he met her in late January and late March 2014.
She said she refused to alter documents as he asked, but she did shred and delete material.
IBAC alleges her business would retain a few hundred dollars from payments received and the rest would go to Napoli-related companies.
She could not recall details of how transactions came about.
The department has suspended Nino Napoli’s brother, John Fawkner College principal Gus Napoli, while it investigates him over claims that he encouraged Ralph Napoli to lie to investigators.
Michael Giulieri, principal of Keilor Heights Primary, was sacked this month after admitting he encouraged Ralph Napoli to lie.