Lib leader dobs himself in for lobster with ‘a mobster’

Victoria’s opposition leader referred himself to a watchdog over a dinner he attended with an alleged Mafia figure.

Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy speaks to waiting media outside Parliament House in Melbourne this morning. Photo: AAP

Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy has unleashed a political time-bomb by referring himself to anti-corruption investigators after he chatted side-by-side with an alleged mafia boss at a $1000-a-bottle Penfolds Grange and lobster dinner.

Amid conflicting stories, Mr Guy yesterday referred himself to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission for an investigation into the circumstances over how he dined with the alleged boss of Melbourne’s mafia, Tony Madafferi.

The referral means IBAC will likely report in 2018, an election year, and expose the Opposition Leader to months of uncertainty over a dinner on April 12 at the Lobster Cave in Beaumaris, southeast Melbourne.

Mr Guy initially claimed he had no idea the dinner with Italian market gardeners included Mr Madafferi, who denies criminal wrongdoing despite years of scrutiny from federal and state police. But he changed his story when a transcript of a phone conversation was released quoting former Liberal adviser Barrie Macmillan asserting Mr Guy’s office was told Mr Madafferi would be attending the dinner, with the bill picked up by his hosts.

The scandal has placed ­intense pressure on Mr Guy’s leadership, coming after he was exposed in 2013 as having spoken at a fundraiser backed by Mr Madafferi while Mr Guy was planning minister.

Mr Madafferi who has never been charged with a crime and has strenuously denied any wrongdoing was reportedly disappointed the meeting was made public but declined to comment.

In transcripts released in a joint Four Corners/The Age investigation, Mr Macmillan, who ­attended the April dinner, described it as a “hush hush” affair and how names of the dinner’s ­organiser Frank Lamattina’s relatives had been issued to Mr Guy’s personal assistant in advance.

Mr Lamattina is a cousin of Mr Madafferi and ABC TV last night broadcast part of the audio of the Macmillan phone conversation.

Facing pressure in the wake of the transcripts, Mr Guy referred the issue to IBAC for investigation and to establish where the recordings came from.

“So confident am I of my conduct in this matter — the fact that I sought or asked for no political donations, the fact that I went along to a meeting to discuss the matters which I outlined to the media this morning — I would like to myself refer this matter to have it fully investigated,” Mr Guy said. “I believe that will clear up any matters in relation to probity that some have asked or insinuated around today.’’ A Liberal Party spokesman confirmed Mr Guy spent a portion of the evening sitting next to Mr Madafferi, who is a pizza chain owner and market gardener who has been banned from attending Crown casino and all Victorian racetracks. Victoria Police have long claimed they have intelligence linking Mr Madafferi to the underworld, but he has stead­fastly protested his innocence.

Former VFL footballer and City of Casey councillor Geoff Ablett was also present at the dinner, and told The Australian that Mr Guy had been the centre of ­attention throughout the evening. “They all wanted to talk to Matthew about issues regarding the market,” he said.

Mr Guy said he knew he would be attending a dinner with Mr Lamattina’s relatives to discuss ­issues relating to Melbourne markets, but was unaware that this ­included Mr Madafferi.

He said it wasn’t until the meal was under way that he ­realised Mr Madafferi was at the table.

The Victorian opposition leader said this afternoon he was “so confident” that he had done nothing wrong by attending a dinner this year with alleged Calabrian Mafia member Tony Madafferi that he would refer the issue to the state’s Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission.

The sensational announcement came as transcripts emerged which contradicted claims that Mr Guy did not know who was attending a dinner at Melbourne’s Lobster Cave restaurant organised by long-time Liberal Party supporter Frank Lamattina.

Transcripts released in a Four Corners/The Age investigation this afternoon from Liberal Party member Barrie Macmillan described the dinner as a “hush hush” affair and detailed how a full list of Mr Lamattina’s relatives attending the event had been provided to Mr Guy’s personal assistant.

Mr Guy has forcefully rejected claims he knew anything about the dinner and suggestions it was a covert affair. He has also rejected any suggestion he has received donations from Mr Madafferi.

The opposition leader has been under fire and branded “Mafia Guy” by the Deputy Premier James Merlino after revelations surfaced the state’s tough-on-crime proponent had had an intimate dinner with alleged Mafia kingpin and other relatives of Mr Lamattina.

Facing pressure in the wake of the transcripts, he referred the issue to IBAC for investigation and to establish where the transcripts — believed to be intercepted phone calls — came from.

“So confident am I of my conduct in this matter — the fact that I sought or asked for no political donations, the fact that I went along to a meeting to discuss the matters which I outlined to the media this morning — I would like to myself refer this matter to have it fully investigated,” Mr Guy said.

He said he believed referring himself to the state’s corruption watchdog as the “right thing to do”.

“I believe that will clear up any matters in relation to probity that some have asked or insinuated around today,” he said

Prominent Melbourne businessman Mr Madafferi is a restaurant owner and market gardener who has been banned from attending Crown Casino and all Victorian racetracks.

Members of Victoria Police say they hold “substantial intelligence” indicating that Mr Madafferi has had “substantial and close involvement with serious criminal conduct including drug importation, murder and extortion”.

Mr Guy said he knew he would be attending dinner with Mr Lamattina’s relatives to discuss issues relating to Melbourne Markets, but was unaware that this included Mr Madafferi.

“Frank said to me he would bring his cousins ... the Lamattina family is big,” Mr Guy said on Tuesday morning.

“It was a straightforward discussion about the Melbourne markets.

“There was no donation, no talk of political donations and any attachment to stories that this was somehow related to political donations is false,” he said.

On suggestions that it was a secretive meeting, he responded: “People were shaking my hand as I walked in … if it was so secretive, why was it in the middle of packed suburban restaurant?”

He said it wasn’t until someway through the meal he realised Mr Madafferi — who is one of Mr Lamattina’s cousins — was at the table.

“I didn’t know many of them until I was introduced to them,” he said, adding that there were around a dozen people at the table.

Upon returning to his car, he knew that he could face consequences as the result of the encounter.

“It was pretty obvious how it was going to end up,” he said, referring to the moment when he arrived back at his car after dinner and took stock of the situation.

It’s not the first time the opposition leader has been in hot water over links to the businessman.

Mr Guy was caught up in a 2015 Four Corners expose about Mr Madafferi’s political donations, which detailed how Mr Guy — then Planning Minister — had appeared at a Madafferi political fundraiser in 2013.

The latest revelations have reignited criticism of the opposition leader from the government who are demanding answers on why he would meet with a figure under close watch by the police.

Deputy Premier James Merlino demanded to know what other interactions Mr Guy had had with other Victorian crime figures.

“What dirty deals has he done with organised crime figures in Victoria? It’s not Matthew Guy, it’s Mafia Guy,” Mr Merlino said.

He described the revelation as going “directly to the character, the ethics, the judgment of the leader of the Opposition”.

“This is no joke, this is a deadly serious issue. The leader of the Liberal Party having dinner, an intimate dinner, with ... someone who Victoria Police have serious concerns about.

“The people of Victoria deserve an answer. Why on earth had the Leader of the Opposition had an intimate dinner with an [alleged] organised crime figure?”

The opposition leader, who has built a party platform around promises to be “tough on crime”, is expected to face more questioning today as parliament returns for the first sitting day after the winter break.

Labor MP Fiona Richardson called the dinner “not a good look” and said that it attacked the core of his promise to crack down on crime in the state.

“If you’re trying to be tough on crime, that’s not the way to do it,” she said.