Operation Wyvern: ICAC hears transport employee Ibrahim Helmy coached businessman how to stay on road works panel

A Transport for NSW employee at the centre of a huge alleged kickback scheme advised a private firm to set up a new company to seek more work while coaching them how they could remain on a lucrative statewide panel, ICAC has heard.

Former Transport for NSW employee Ibrahim Helmy who is at the centre of an ICAC investigation into corruption. Picture: Supplied

A Transport for NSW employee at the centre of an alleged multimillion-dollar kickback scheme advised a private contractor to set up a new company to seek more work while privately coaching them how they could remain on a lucrative statewide panel for taxpayer-funded contracts, the Independent Commission Against Corruption has heard.

Jason Chellew, the founder of north coast roadworks firm Protection Barriers, told a public hearing on Tuesday that TfNSW employee Ibrahim Helmy used a private email address to help advise the businessman on how he could remain on a statewide list of contractors approved to do roadworks across regional NSW while telling him to apply to get a separate business onto the panel.

Mr Chellew said Mr Helmy also used the private email address to send back figures to be used for inflated invoices before they were submitted to Transport for NSW for payment.

The inquiry, under Operation Wyvern and being presided over by ICAC Chief Commissioner John Hatzistergos, is investigating alleged “extremely serious” corruption by Mr Helmy and other TfNSW officials “between 2012 and 2024”.

It includes the alleged payment of “kickbacks” to Mr Helmy totalling at least $11.5m and involving up to $343m worth of work handed out to private contractors.

Businessman Jason Chellew, the founder of Protection Barriers Pty Ltd, spent most of Tuesday continuing to give evidence at ICAC inquiry. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

Mr Helmy has not been charged with any criminal offence, but NSW Police renewed a public appeal for information on his whereabouts on Monday and an arrest warrant for him remained ­outstanding on Tuesday.

The commission has already heard allegations that Mr Helmy sought “arrangements” with businesses to inflate invoices for a range of road works so they could pay him “kickbacks”.

Counsel assisting the ICAC inquiry, Rob Ranken SC, spent a second day questioning north coast businessman Jason Chellew about his dealings with Ibrahim Hemly and other Transport for NSW employees. Picture: Rohan Kelly

It included an “arrangement” with Mr Chellew that they would go “50/50” with money made on the inflated invoices and pay rates as Protection Barriers’ work ballooned to taking on almost $100m worth of contracted work over four years.

The inquiry heard that that arrangement included Mr Chellew sending his work invoices to Mr Helmy via a private email address before the TfNSW employee replied with inflated figures to be used in the invoices sent for payment.

The inquiry also heard on Tuesday that, as the work continued to grow, problems began to arise as purchase order ceilings were being met by Protection Barriers and fresh applications were being sought to remain on the panel.

Giving evidence at the inquiry, Mr Chellew said that he thought it was “risky” to set up a second company to gain a second place on the panel but did so after Mr Helmy told him it would help alleviate Protection Barriers hitting the purchase order quota ceiling by taking some of its work.

Ibrahim Helmy Picture: Supplied

“You thought it might lead to the detection of an improper relationship you had with Mr Helmy,” counsel assisting the commission, Rob Ranken SC, asked.

“Correct,” Mr Chellew replied.

The businessman also told the inquiry that Protection Barriers was struggling to meet some “management systems” criteria needed to remain on the panel and Mr Helmy gave Mr Chellew ongoing advice on how to get their application over the line.

When asked by Mr Ranken whether Mr Helmy expressed concern that Protection Barriers might lose its place on the panel, Mr Chellew replied: “Yes.”

“And if Protection Barriers missed out on being a part of the next panel contract, that would mean that Protection Barriers wouldn’t be getting any further work,” Mr Ranken asked.

“Correct,” Mr Chellew said.

“And that would mean that you wouldn’t be paying any further kickbacks to Mr Helmy, correct?”

“That’s correct.”

The inquiry also heard that another TfNSW employee, engineer David Liu, had an arrangement with Protection Barriers to be paid a quarter of the $200 an hour that Transport for NSW was paying the company to hire out a truck and driver .

Mr Ranken told the inquiry during his opening address on Monday that it was expected there would be evidence that Newcastle-based Mr Liu, who resigned in February “following the discovery of his suspected corrupt conduct”, received between $100,000 and $150,000 for two “schemes” - the truck hiring arrangement and assisting Mr Helmy with the submission of inflated work orders.

Mr Chellew confirmed he had paid Mr Liu in cash bundles for the truck hire arrangement.

Mr Chellew’s wife, Meshel Chellew, is set to continue giving evidence on Wednesday.

Originally published as Operation Wyvern: ICAC hears transport employee Ibrahim Helmy coached businessman how to stay on road works panel