Embattled Labor MP holds secret kebab shop meeting with office manager

EMBATTLED Labor MP Khalil Eideh has held a secret kebab shop meeting with his office manager following the referral of rorting allegations to Victoria’s corruption watchdog.

Embattled state Labor MP Khalil Eideh has been caught on camera at a secret meeting with his office manager. Picture: David Smith

EMBATTLED state Labor MP Khalil Eideh has been caught on camera at a secret meeting with his office manager, following the referral of rorting allegations to Victoria’s corruption watchdog.

Mr Eideh met staff member Robert Mammarella at the Glenroy Kebab House on Wednesday afternoon — despite having been urged not to contact his electorate workers while the probe is continuing.

Labor whistleblowers allege that hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money were siphoned from politicians’ printing budgets over several years, to pay for bogus ALP memberships.

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Robert Mammarella and Khalil Eideh meet at the Glenroy Kebab House. Picture: David Smith

Robert Mammarella and Khalil Eideh meeting in Glenroy. Picture: David Smith

It was alleged that invoices were created for large orders of brochures or other material that were never fully printed.

An initial parliamentary probe raised concerns over $200,000 worth of invoices from Mr Eideh’s Cairnlea electorate office.

On September 15, parliament referred the “Cash for Stacks” allegations to the independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.

At the same time, Mr Eideh took the unprecedented step of asking parliament to close his electorate office.

Mr Mammarella and other staff were locked out and placed on indefinite leave.

It is understood Mr Eideh and Mr Mammarella had been warned against meeting while IBAC conducted its early investigations.

The pair looked tense during the meeting and hugged each other goodbye outside the restaurant.

Robert Mammarella and Khalil Eideh meet at the Glenroy Kebab House. Picture: David Smith

The Glenroy Kebab House. Picture: David Smith

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the secret rendezvous raised concerns.

“These secret Labor Party meetings by (Premier) Daniel Andrews’s MP reek of a cover- up,’’ Mr Guy said.

“Victorian Labor are addicted to rorting taxpayers’ money. We now need to know if they’re also destroying evidence and covering up any potential police investigation.”

Mr Eideh has denied any knowledge of any rorting out of his office. Mr Mammarella has also rejected the allegations.

Neither man returned the Herald Sun’s phone calls.

Mr Eideh last week announced he would retire from his Upper House Western Metropolitan seat at the next election.

“I maintain that I have done nothing wrong and I will fully co-operate with authorities,” Mr Eideh said.

“I am confident that the claims in the media reports will be completely dismissed and that I will be fully exonerated.”

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