By Megan Gorrey
Former Hurstville councillor Clifton Wong, who gave evidence to the state anti-corruption watchdog in an investigation into the conduct of three of his former council colleagues earlier this week, has been found dead.
NSW Police said emergency services crews responded to reports a 62-year-old man had died in an office complex on Deane Street in Burwood about 1.20pm on Wednesday.
Former Hurstville Labor councillor Clifton Wong under cross-examination at the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Monday.Credit: ICAC
The Herald has confirmed the man was Wong, a former Labor councillor who served on Hurstville City Council from 1999 to 2012.
Wong was among witnesses at the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s inquiry into whether three former Hurstville councillors accepted perks from developers in exchange for favourable planning decisions.
He appeared most recently for cross-examination on Monday, when he told the inquiry he regretted not telling anyone he witnessed a developer hand the then-deputy mayor $10,000 to help with a potential development.
Police said there were no suspicious circumstances in his death. They will prepare a report for the coroner.
Wong’s barrister, Stephen Stanton, said the death of his client was “both personally and professionally [to me], a very sad development”.
Operation Galley is examining whether former Hurstville and Georges River councillors Con Hindi and Vince Badalati, and former Hurstville councillor Philip Sansom, accepted perks including overseas flights and accommodation from developers in exchange for supporting developments in Hurstville from 2014 to 2021.
The inquiry is also examining whether the three councillors deliberately failed to declare a conflict of interest stemming from their relationships with developers Philip Uy, Wensheng Liu and Yuqing Liu.
In his evidence on June 28, Wong said he saw Uy give Hindi an envelope containing $10,000 in exchange for favouring his and Wensheng Liu’s bid to buy a council-owned car park on Gloucester Road in Hurstville in 2012.
Under cross-examination on Monday, Wong said he hadn’t told anyone about the incident because he panicked.
“I didn’t know how to respond. I wish I had reported it back then, but I didn’t, and now I regret [it],” he said.
“This sort of thing, I know very well that it is not only immoral, it is illegal,” Wong said.
The inquiry heard Wong had been identified as a person of interest, along with Sansom, Badalati and Hindi, for allegedly “exercising [his] official functions dishonestly” when the ICAC investigation commenced in November.
Wong said in the witness box that he realised he was no longer a person of interest when he read an “investigation list” on the commission’s website when the inquiry began a few weeks ago.
Stanton said Wong had been due to return to the ICAC inquiry at a later date.
“He was courageous in terms of the evidence he gave to the commission that’s on the public record,” Stanton said.
“He was, as far as I was concerned, an honourable fellow.”
Legal representatives for witnesses at the inquiry extended their condolences to Wong’s family at the start of Friday’s hearing.
Commissioner Stephen Rushton described Wong’s death as a tragedy, and said he was “shocked and saddened”.
“Our thoughts are with his family, and we extend our deepest sympathy for what has occurred.”
Lawyers for Uy said their client felt unable to continue his evidence on Friday, and that in Chinese culture it would be disrespectful to Wong’s memory if he did so. He asked to be excused until next week.
Sansom’s lawyer also said his client, who was due to give evidence on Monday, might not be ready to proceed.
Rushton said the inquiry should adjourn until next week. It will resume on Tuesday.
“I sympathise with everyone’s position in this, but there’s a public interest also in resolving this investigation expeditiously,” he said.
Rushton urged witnesses and their lawyers to use the commission’s employee assistance program, which he said was available to any person whose health and safety might be at risk due to an investigation.
The ICAC has been contacted for comment.
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