Adem Somyurek deleted text about forging ballot, inquiry told

A former Labor powerbroker has made a stunning admission to an inquiry that heard he allegedly hired people on the public purse to pay favours.

Former Labor powerbroker Adem Somyurek says he should have “just enjoyed being a minister” after allegations were aired of forged signatures and “countless” taxpayer funded jobs for factional mates.

Mr Somyurek gave evidence for a third day on Thursday at the The Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC), which is probing the party’s misuse of taxpayer staff and resources.

Counsel assisting the inquiry Chris Carr said Mr Somyurek had allegedly deleted a text message from his phone before it was seized by IBAC, discussing forged signatures on internal party ballots.

Mr Somyurek also said he “could not recall” ordering his staff to buy up to $14,000 in postage stamps using taxpayer funds to help the campaign of his factional mates.

Further, the former minister denied providing “explicit direction” to a staffer to forge signatures on party ballots.

During Thursday’s evidence, Commissioner Robert Redlich raised the “countless” examples of people being hired in electorate officers as political favours and doing party factional work on public salaries.

“I should’ve just enjoyed being a minister,” Mr Somyurek told the inquiry.

“I shouldn’t have done any of this.

“I lost my ministry because of it.”

IBAC is probing whether public officers, including MPs, engaged in corrupt conduct while in public office by telling ministerial and electorate office staff to do party-political work while they were being paid from the public purse for ministerial or electorate work.

Counsel assisting Chris Carr showed a text message to the inquiry in which Mr Somyurek discusses a “forged signature” on party ballots.

He said Mr Somyurek deleted the message from his phone before it was seized by IBAC investigators.

Mr Somyurek said he couldn’t recall directing a staffer to buy thousands of dollars worth of stamps.

Mr Somyurek agreed the message concerned a ballot ahead of Labor’s 2018 national conference.

“I suggest you are a party to the forgery of signatures with (staffer) Pinar Yesil and you’re seeking to prevent it becoming obvious to (other staffers)?” Mr Carr posed.

“I think you could probably draw that conclusion,” Mr Somyurek replied.

Mr Somyurek denied being present when signatures on membership renewal forms were forged, instead blaming the forgeries on an electorate office staffer who told IBAC that she’d witnessed Mr Somyurek being party to it.

“That’s absolutely a lie,” he said.

A phone conversation was also played to the inquiry between Mr Somyurek and former Labor minister Marlene Kairouz discussing concerns about what would be aired in coming days on Nine’s 60 Minutes program about Labor branch stacking.

Ms Kairouz is recorded saying: “Branch stacking … is not against the law. That’s not corruption.”

“It’s serious misconduct,” Mr Somyurek responds.

IBAC Commissioner Robert Redlich pressed Mr Somyurek if he had a moral objection to using taxpayer money for factional purposes. AAP Image/James Ross

Mr Somyurek denied allegations put to him by Mr Carr that he provided “explicit direction” to a staffer to forge signatures on ballot papers.

He also could not recall directing a staffer that up to $14,000 in postage stamps be purchased using public funds to be used by his faction.

“I have no recollection of that at all,” he said.

“That’s a really surprising answer — a conniving theft of public money is the kind of thing someone would normally remember,” Mr Carr quipped.

“The reason I’m a little bit apprehensive is I share resources with my lower house MPs,” Mr Somyurek replied.

When pressed, Mr Somyurek could not give a yes or no answer to whether he had a moral objection to using taxpayer funds for factional purposes.

“I’ve talked about electoral officers and the grey area there. You need to ask me a specific question,” he said.

“You don’t believe you can give a yes or no to it?” Commissioner Robert Redlich asked.

“No,” he replied.

INQUIRY HEARS ‘COUNTLESS’ EXAMPLES OF JOBS FOR MATES

The inquiry also heard of countless examples in which people were hired in electorate officers as factional favours.

In a phone conversation, Mr Somyurek tells former minister Robin Scott he employed a Vietnamese woman as a favour to a Dandenong councillor Loi Truong because there was a view “the Vietnamese were missing out” in the south eastern suburbs.

But as allegations about branch stacking swirled ahead of a 60 Minutes expose on him, Mr Somyurek became nervous about whether the woman posed “a problem”.

“Do you think she’s spoken to anyone — 60 Minutes or anything?” Mr Somyurek asks Mr Truong in a taped conversation.

“No, I don’t think so,” Mr Truong responds.

Mr Somyurek then says: “Just be careful.”

In another conversation, Mr Somyurek talks of finding work for an Afghan woman who had brought in “serious numbers” of members to his faction.

He then questions if he should sack a factional ally’s son from his electorate to make way for her, given he had brought in “absolutely zero”.

Mr Somyurek said Premier Daniel Andrews went through the ‘same apprenticeship’ Photo: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

‘I SHOULDN’T HAVE DONE ANY OF THIS’

Commissioner Redlich put to Mr Somyurek the inquiry now had countless examples revealing he was primarily influenced by someone’s value as a factional operative, when hiring staff.

“We have, but I’m not the only one,” he said.

“I shouldn’t have done any of this.

“My strength is also my weakness. I’m obsessive — if I believe in a cause. I go for it.”

Commissioner Redlich said the evidence demonstrated a “tragedy” for young people aspiring to enter politics.

“All of these young people with aspirations of a parliamentary career who may have great things to contribute to the state of Victoria, they all have to start their careers going through this unethical factional work. It’s a tragedy, is it not?” he asked.

“It is, commissioner. (Premier) Mr Andrews went through this apprenticeship as well. They’ve all gone through it,” Mr Somyurek said.

In his earlier bombshell evidence, Mr Somyurek accused Labor’s most senior leaders of branch stacking to sway power in Victoria.

The inquiry continues on Friday.