By Royce Millar
A former City of Casey mayor under investigation by the state anti-corruption watchdog was found dead on Tuesday.
Victoria Police issued a statement to The Age to say a 58-year-old Cranbourne North woman was found in a car on Stringybark Drive on Tuesday at about 12.30pm.
Former Casey council mayor Amanda Stapledon in 2018.Credit: Paul Jeffers
The Age has confirmed the woman is former Casey mayor Amanda Stapledon, who was also a Liberal state election candidate in 2014.
Police said they would prepare a report for the coroner but that the death was not being treated as suspicious.
Stapledon was one of a group of former Casey councillors investigated by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) over dealings with allegedly corrupt developer John Woodman.
As part of its Operation Sandon, IBAC conducted weeks of public hearings about the alleged corruption through late 2019 and 2020. It was expected to release its findings early this year.
IBAC heard Stapledon failed to properly declare tens of thousands of dollars in political donations from Woodman over almost five years as the Casey council considered planning matters that were likely to generate windfall profits for Woodman and his developer clients.
In March 2020, Stapledon told IBAC that Woodman donated $25,000 for her 2014 tilt for the state seat of Narre Warren North in Melbourne’s south-east. He also hosted a fundraiser, bought multiple tickets to other fundraisers and donated a helicopter ride for auction.
Stapledon confirmed that throughout 2014, she failed to declare conflicts of interest as the council considered a controversial rezoning of land in Cranbourne West spearheaded by Woodman.
Stapledon was also part of a team of about 10 council candidates bankrolled by Woodman at the 2016 council election as part of a $100,000 campaign overseen by former mayor Sam Aziz.
On Wednesday, an IBAC spokesperson said: “IBAC has been informed about the death of a former Casey councillor. We will not be making any further comment.”
Crisis support can be found at Lifeline: (13 11 14 and lifeline.org.au), the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467 and suicidecallbackservice.org.au) and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636 and beyondblue.org.au).