‘7 grams of the best’: Former Moonee Valley mayor’s cocaine messages revealed in IBAC probe

A former mayor of Moonee Valley was given cocaine for favours and workshopped a bribery scheme to pay unnamed councillors up to $60,000 to buy their votes, a wide-ranging anti-corruption investigation has found.

The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission on Wednesday released the findings of a 17-month probe, uncovering damning evidence against ex-mayor Cameron Nation.

The City of Moonee Valley council chambers in Moonee Ponds.

It also found two councillors whom it did name – Narelle Sharpe and Jacob Bettio – used their positions to influence council decisions in favour of a local soccer club at the expense of other clubs and without declaring conflicts of interest.

The findings come on the eve of local council elections. Bettio and Sharpe – who is deputy mayor – are running for council again this month. Nation resigned in March this year and is not contesting the poll.

The IBAC report said Nation and his partner were “regularly supplied” with cocaine and Xanax – a prescription sedative – by an unnamed construction manager linked to the Essendon Royals Soccer Club.

In a series of text messages, Nation openly discussed receiving drugs in exchange for efforts to intervene at council to benefit the construction manager and his associates, including on planning applications, building height restrictions, parking and graffiti removal.

“[My partner] wants a little bit of cheek [cocaine] … I’ll sort out [street address of the business in the municipality] for it,” a text message from Nation in March 2021 included in the report stated. Evidence showed Nation’s partner picked up the cocaine at the construction manager’s house the same day.

Moonee Valley City Council’s former mayor Cameron Nation.Credit: Facebook

In another text, from June that year, the construction manager asked Nation for an update on a permit application he had with the council, offering drugs for the favour: “Can u [sic] check where it is at please … I will fix u up … 7 [grams] of the best.”

In another text, Nation wrongly claimed credit for getting a graffiti removal notice for the premises withdrawn. “Can’t believe I’m that efficient. Gold medal standard, that and the graffiti. God status.”

Operation Leo began when IBAC received information indicating the Essendon Royals Soccer Club’s president – who was not named in the report – was intending to bribe Nation and two other unnamed councillors through his associate, the construction manager. The president allegedly wanted them to vote in favour of increasing club access to the council-owned Cross Keys Reserve in Essendon. The sports ground was the site of Jason Moran’s infamous underworld slaying.

The report stated there was “an intent on Mr Nation’s part to foster a payment arrangement”, though the watchdog was unable to find financial evidence bribes were paid.

Nation told IBAC that the construction manager “repeatedly” raised the notion of paying the councillors in exchange for favourable votes of between $30,000 and $60,000 before a council vote on the matter last year.

An intercepted phone call between the club president and the construction manager also detailed discussions of alleged bribes of $15,000 each per year, or a one-time payment of between $40,000 and $50,000, to be split among Nation and two other unnamed councillors, the report states.

Operation Leo also outlined the failure of councillors Sharpe and Bettio to disclose gifts from the soccer club or report bribery attempts.

Sharpe told IBAC she was aware of the alleged payment arrangement “between the construction manager, Mr Nation and another councillor from the ERSC president” but did not report it to the council CEO out of fear for her safety. The report also showed she had an undisclosed relationship with the president of the soccer club.

Bettio told IBAC that a business associate of the construction manager once requested his assistance in removing a street pole in front of his residence and asked: “How much will it take?” IBAC found it was an example of a payment offer that was not reported to the council.

Although no evidence of monetary bribes paid was confirmed, IBAC did find that Nation on “multiple occasions” bypassed proper council processes to positively influence other property matters on behalf of the construction manager in exchange for drugs.

In another example, Nation was assisting the construction manager to get planning approvals and permits required to build a shop on vacant land. The report includes a message from Nation to the construction manager stating: “… still waiting for planning to tell me how we can get around things. Need to talk to them in person so no paper trail.”

While IBAC didn’t find evidence that the vacant land was developed as intended, it noted that Nation’s “reference to a ‘paper trail’ demonstrates an intentional attempt to conceal his involvement in the matter by avoiding a written record of his conversations to MVCC planning staff”.

Nation was contacted for comment on Wednesday but did not respond by deadline.

Sharpe said in a statement that the report “clears my name in regards to bribery and corruption” and expressed gratitude that it had been tabled.

Bettio said in a statement that his acceptance of membership to the soccer club was an “error of judgment” and in no way impacted my decision-making with respect to any motion or council decision”.

In a statement late on Wednesday, an Essendon Royals Soccer Club official said IBAC “had not found sufficient evidence to support any allegations involving the club or its representatives”.

The Age revealed last year that the corruption agency had seized the phones of four Moonee Valley councillors – Nation, Sharpe, Bettio and Samantha Byrne – as part of its investigation. Byrne was not named in the final report.

IBAC recommended the state government strengthen requirements for councillors to report suspected corrupt conduct.

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