By Megan Gorrey
The mayor of Canada Bay council allegedly accepted trips to Shanghai paid for by collapsed property group iProsperity in return for supporting its plans for an apartment block five times the height allowed, a corruption inquiry has heard.
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating allegations Angelo Tsirekas, the long-time mayor of the council in Sydney’s inner west, accepted perks including international flights and accommodation from developers in return for decisions that favoured their proposed developments.
The conduct of long-time Canada Bay mayor Angelo Tsirekas is under the spotlight at a corruption inquiry this week.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
A month-long inquiry is examining whether Tsirekas failed to disclose relationships with developers and individuals or declare a conflict of interest related to properties in Drummoyne and Rhodes dating back to 2012.
Development giant Billbergia and Drummoyne developer Prolet are among companies named in the allegations.
The inquiry on Tuesday heard iProsperity had purchased properties at 1-9 Marquet Street and 4 Mary Street at Rhodes with the intent to redevelop the land with hundreds of apartments in a high-rise block about 2015.
In his opening remarks, counsel assisting the commission Jamie Darams said the group comprised two companies, which had since gone into liquidation. They were iProsperity, directed by Chinese nationals Michael Gu and Harry Huang, and iProsperity Waterside Rhodes, whose directors were Huang and Belinda Li.
The group submitted a planning proposal to Canada Bay council in 2016, seeking permission to change the planning rules for part of the site to allow for construction of a 127-metre tower comprising 399 apartments. The maximum building height allowed on the land at that time was 23 metres.
The inquiry heard iProsperity had in 2015 engaged the services of a long-time friend of Tsirekas, Joseph Chidiac, who allegedly provided advice to companies that had planning applications being considered by the council.
The inquiry heard Tsirekas and Chidiac travelled to Shanghai multiple times between 2016 and 2019, and that iProsperity and Chidiac had footed the bill for some of Tsirekas expenses on some of those trips.
Darams told the inquiry he expected, for example, there would be evidence iProsperity paid for Tsirekas to stay at The Langham hotel in Shanghai in January 2016, and that Chidiac had paid for his flights.
The inquiry will probe several planning matters, some related to the fast-growing suburb of Rhodes.Credit: Louie Douvis
“I expect that there will be evidence before the public inquiry that iProsperity group paid for some of the entertainment and travel expenses incurred by Mr Chidiac and Mr Tsirekas on this trip,” Darams said.
Chidiac paid Tsirekas expense for another trip the pair took to Lebanon in 2016. He and Tsirekas also took three trips to the United States between 2016 and 2018, the inquiry heard.
“The evidence is expected to show that Mr Tsirekas has been overseas on 24 occasions and that on many of these occasions, this was in the company of Mr Chidiac,” Darams said.
The inquiry heard allegations Tsirekas did not declare any conflict of interest with the council regarding his relationships with Chidiac or representatives of iProsperity.
Belinda Li, formerly of property group iProsperity, gives evidence at the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s investigation into Canada Bay council on Tuesday.
In May 2016, Tsirekas facilitated changes to a draft council resolution that benefited iProsperity regarding its plans for the Rhodes development. Tsirekas later voted in favour of the amended proposal at a council meeting. He supported further proposals related to the project in 2018 and 2019.
Darams said the commission was examining the extent to which Tsirekas “sought or received benefits” from Chidiac or iProsperity, including the trips to Shanghai, and the possible extent to which that was “given or received as an inducement or award for partially and dishonestly exercising his official functions to favour the interests” of iProsperity and Chidiac.
The inquiry’s first witness, Belinda Li said she would have spoken to council staff about iProsperity’s plans for the site, but she would not have spoken to councillors.
Under questioning, Li recalled possibly meeting Chidiac and Tsirekas on “one or two occasions” in Shanghai.
Photographs tendered to the commission showed Li with a group that included Tsirekas and Chidiac at Huang’s wedding in Shanghai in January 2016. Li said he must have gone “as a friend”.
When asked if the pair had struck up a friendship, Li said: “Looks like [it], I wouldn’t invite someone I didn’t know to my wedding”.
The inquiry continues in front of chief commissioner Peter Hall.
Tsirekas has taken personal leave until the end of May.
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