Road safety company goes into administration after ICAC raid

One of the state’s biggest road safety companies has gone into administration after their offices were raided last year as part of a secret ICAC investigation into Transport for NSW procurement deals.

Among the Protection Barriers assets seized by law enforcement officers were trucks and machinery.

EXCLUSIVE: One of the state’s biggest road safety companies has gone into administration after their offices were raided last year as part of a secret ICAC investigation into Transport for NSW procurement deals.

Protection Barriers had received more than $110 million in Transport for NSW contracts over the past decade before ICAC investigators, along with NSW Police and the NSW Crime Commission, descended on its head office at Koolkhan in northern NSW in September.

No charges have been laid and there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Protection Barriers staff, its founder Jason Chellew or his wife, director Mishell Chellew.

The Saturday Telegraph can reveal that, separate to the ICAC investigation, control of Protection Barriers was last month handed over to administrators. ASIC documents reveal Protection Barriers had $2.338m in assets when administrators from Sydney-based Crouch Amirbeaggi were appointed to oversee the paying of creditors.

Among the assets seized by law enforcement officers were trucks and machinery seemingly used in their day-to-day work such as installing wire ropes, which are commonly seen dividing major highways.

Protection Barriers was one of the largest installer of road safety steel rope in the state.

About $100,000 in cryptocurrency, a $380,000 Bentley and a $150,000 Range Rover were also seized.

The crime commission took restraining orders against Mr and Mrs Chellew’s assets last September, and the civil matter remains before the courts.

The Range Rover that was seized from (inset) Protection Barriers founder Jason Chellew. Pictures: Supplied/Facebook

Separate to the activities of the Crime Commission, ASIC documents also detail a list of creditors owed a total of $1.276 million by Protection Barriers.

Included on that list were several of Mr and Mrs Chellews’ own companies.

In the almost seven months since Protection Barriers was raided, the scope of the ICAC-led investigation is understood to have widened.

The Daily Telegraph revealed this week that Transport for NSW had made changes to its general procurement processes late last year, which resulted in delays in millions of dollars being paid out to companies doing work on the state’s roads.

A new chief procurement officer was employed by the agency in November.

Procurement deals have been part of previous public ICAC hearings.

Mr and Mrs Chellew were contacted for comment.

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Originally published as Road safety company goes into administration after ICAC raid