I felt like a kid at Willy Wonka’s factory: Former Botany Bay Council manager tells ICAC

A FORMER labourer felt ‘like a boy who had been given the keys to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory’ after landing a senior officer’s role.

(L-R) Mark Goodman , former acting manager of the council's business unit with lawyer Martin Dunne outside ICAC, Sydney. Picture: Craig Wilson

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A FORMER labourer felt “like a boy who had been given the keys to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory” after landing a senior officer’s role at Botany Bay Council despite being unqualified for the job, an inquiry has heard.

Mark Goodman, who was acting manager of the business unit, told the Independent Commission Against Corruption that he did not apply or have an interview for the $95,600 a year job, had no managerial experience and could not read financial reports.

He said the business unit had a turnover of $7 million a year but he denied knowing cash was siphoned out by his clerical assistant Marny Baccam who admitted creating false invoices totalling $195,000 from her company Ari Landscape, which did not work for the council.

ICAC’s Operation Ricco is investigating claims Mr Goodman’s brother Gary, who was the council’s chief financial officer and a former lover of Ms Baccam, conspired with others to defraud at least $4.2 million of ratepayer’s funds between 2009 and 2015.

Gary Goodman, former CFO of Botany Bay Council, made an appearance on crutches at ICAC today into a hearing claims he allegedly defrauded at least $4.2 million of ratepayer’s funds. Picture: Craig Wilson

Under questioning by his solicitor Martin Dunne, Mr Goodman admitted making a reference to the film Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.

“And you felt like a boy who had been given the key to the factory?” Mr Dunne asked.

“Yes,” Mr Goodman replied.

“And you were that boy at the business unit?” Mr Dunne said.

“Yes,” Mr Goodman replied.

When asked why he told Ms Baccam “I don’t want to lose my job over this”, Mark Goodman said this referred to purchase order numbers not being written on invoices.

But his explanation did nothing to impress counsel assisting the inquiry Murugan Thandaraj SC who said: “With the dysfunctionality we have heard about Botany Bay Council, no one would bat an eyelid about a purchase order number being missing.”

Gary Goodman, of West Hoxton, attended the hearing for the first time today on crutches after recently having his left big toe amputated at Liverpool Hospital but he did not give evidence.

Instead he sat in the public gallery behind his brother Mark, listening to evidence given by Malcom Foo who had been suspended as team leader of the business unit but was told by council’s barrister Arthur Moses his employment was terminated this afternoon.

Earlier in the day, Mr Foo admitted being part of Gary Goodman’s “inner circle” of people involved in an scheme to create fake invoices to steal ratepayer’s money from Botany Bay Council.

Malcolm Foo, team leader of the business unit, found out today that his employment at Botany Bay Council had been terminated after he admitted being part of an elaborate fraud. Picture: Craig Wilson

He denied claims by Robert Floudas that he threatened to stop providing work to his company Gardens 2 Envy if Mr Floudas stopped lodging fraudulent invoices.

Mr Foo admitted giving $10,000 over a period of time to Mark Goodman, whose wife needed an operation, which was not paid back and originally came from Gardens 2 Envy.

Numerous contractors have claimed they lodged false invoices which were paid by Botany Bay Council including Aleska Subeski who admitted submitting receipts of around $1.8 million through Jovane Pty Ltd after being told to by Gary Goodman despite the company not doing any work for the council.

Contractor Keith Marks, of Computer Intersection, told the inquiry he put in fake invoices of $1.3 million prior to 2007 when he had a car accident which went into his bank account and he paid cash or cheques to Gary Goodman and number of other businesses.

Counsel Assisting the Commission Mr Murugan Thangaraj SC giving the opening address on the first day of the public inquiry into Operation Ricco. Picture: John Appleyad

Despite Gary Goodman’s absence, ICAC has heard much about his tangled personal life through angry telephone intercepts with one of his on-off lovers Suman Mishra, a former accountant at the council, who claimed he had up to four girlfriends.

It has emerged that Mr Goodman paid most of the deposit on Ms Mishra’s Green Square unit, gave her a Mercedes and a council car, until recently paid her mortgage and gave her $200 a week “pocket money”.

During one intercept played to the hearing, Ms Mishra is heard saying: “You and Marny rip the council off in thousands and when I want money, it’s in $50.”

In another conversation, Ms Mishra is overheard saying: “I’m not dumb Gary ... if you want four women, you look after them ... Do you think I’m dumb?

“ ... you make so much money out of that place. You and Marny. That’s why she’s still in your life.”

The inquiry has heard Gary Goodman was in a on-off relationship with Ms Baccam and Ms Mishra despite having a defacto wife and was sending large sums of money to a girlfriend, Jenny McCormick in The Philippines.

ICAC Commissioner The Honourable Megan Latham is presiding over the inquiry into Botany bay Council. Picture: John Appleyard

Under questioning, Mark Goodman admitted he was “grossly unqualified” for his position with the council but thought he was doing “a good job” even though he failed to read five of the six audits and recommendations for improvement of the business unit during the two years in which he managed it.

“What process did you have in place so an employee of yours could not approve an invoice of fifty to one hundred thousand dollars and send it off to council?” Mr Thangaraj asked.

“They would not do that,” Mr Goodman replied.

“That’s your system?” Mr Thangaraj said. “We know that she (Ms Baccam) did do that.”

The former acting manager of the business unit was also shown false invoices which had been signed off with his signature but he denied that he had approved them.

He admitted having two council cars, giving another to his son Jason ‒ a labourer at the council, using an unlimited fuel card, having council workers do jobs at his home and borrowing money knowing it had originally come from a contractor.

Mr Goodman was at a loss to explain where he disappeared to on Tuesdays or why half a bottle of scotch and baby oil was found in his desk and said he did not drink scotch or alcohol at work.