Corruption in the Liberal Party

[rumpole]

Just to make a change from Eddie Obeid and Ian McDonald, it appears the Libs in NSW aren't as white as snow either


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-19/liberals-to-suspend-hartcher-over-icac-inquiry/5268592

Liberal trio named in corruption inquiry step down, avoiding suspension
by state political reporter Sarah Gerathy



"Former New South Wales energy minister Chris Hartcher and two other state government MPs have voluntarily withdrawn from the Liberal Party after moves to suspend them over corruption allegations were put in motion.

A senior government source confirmed to the ABC that the party started the process to suspend Mr Hartcher, Darren Webber and Chris Spence last night after they were named in new public hearings held by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

The trio recently renominated for pre-selection in their Central Coast seats.

ICAC revealed it is investigating claims the MPs solicited money from various sources in return for favours.

It is also looking at whether Mr Hartcher favoured the interests of Australian Water Holdings after it allegedly made several payments to a company set up by one of his staffers.

The New South Wales Green MP John Kaye is now calling for a review of all decisions made by the former energy minister.

"The allegations throw a serious cloud over every decision that Mr Hartcher was involved in," he said.

The corruption watchdog will also hold a second inquiry examining separate allegations that former Labor ministers Eddie Obeid, Joe Tripodi and Tony Kelly misused their positions in parliament to benefit Australian Water Holdings.

A major fundraiser for the Liberal Party yesterday resigned from the board of the State Water Corporation after being linked to the corruption inquiries.

Nick di Girolamon was appointed to the board in 2012.

A directions hearing will be held next month."
=========================================

More ABC propaganda perhaps ?

 

[IFocus]

I was shocked and horrified when I read this in the Liberal Daily News (AKA Australian)

Surely it cannot be true..............98 views and no comment............yep its true NSW Liberals rotten to the core who would have though

 

[sptrawler]

I was shocked and horrified when I read this in the Liberal Daily News (AKA Australian)

Surely it cannot be true..............98 views and no comment............yep its true NSW Liberals rotten to the core who would have though

Yes, really unusual for them to stand down, obviously didn't read Craig Thomsons how to do it.
Also it stated the party was taking steps to suspend them. WOW
They obviously hadn't read the Labor Party, deny everything 101 book.lol

 

[SirRumpole]

Apparently, Barry O'Farrell is having unfortunate memory problems (and I don't mean with his computer)



ICAC hearing: Barry O'Farrell unable to explain phone call to Nick Di Girolamo after allegedly receiving $3,000 bottle of wine

New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell has been unable to explain to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) a call from his phone to a water executive who allegedly gave him a $3,000 bottle of wine.

ICAC alleges the company Australian Water Holdings (AWH) lobbied Mr O'Farrell over an agreement with the state-owned Sydney Water to roll out water infrastructure.

AWH is accused of corruptly billing Sydney Water for expenses and using the money for political donations, executive salaries and various other expenses.

AWH executive Nick Di Girolamo earlier told the inquiry he sent the Premier a $3,000 bottle of wine in 2011 to congratulate him after the election.

The bottle of Grange dated May 24, 1959 - Mr O'Farrell's birthday - does not appear on the Premier's pecuniary interests declaration for the period. Mr Di Girolamo denied that he sent the wine was to "butter up" Mr O'Farrell.

However, Mr O'Farrell denied receiving the wine at all, telling the inquiry: "I'm not a wine connoisseur".

The Premier also said he has no recollection of the 28-second call made from his phone to Mr Di Girolamo in 2011 around the time he was allegedly sent the wine.

But Mr Di Girolamo had earlier told ICAC that Mr O'Farrell phoned him to say thank you for the gift.

Mr O'Farrell also denied giving AWH favourable treatment for political donations and said while he could not remember the phone call, it could have been about anything.

After leaving the hearing, the Premier again strenuously defended his actions at a press conference.

"There's reference to a mystery bottle of wine ... there's no dates as to when it was allegedly delivered," he said.

"What we know for certainty is not only do my wife and I have clear recollection that no such bottle of wine was received ... but that at the period over which it was supposed to have been delivered is vague.

"But what's not vague is that my family spent most of that period in Queensland."

More...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-15/3000-bottle-of-wine-not-sent-to-butter-up-ofarrell/5391318

 

[banco]

LOL BOF ****ting himself on the stand when they raised the phone call. Guess he didn't think they had the phone records.

Meanwhile this shifty clown can't remember the phone call but he definitely remembers he didn't receive the wine.

 

[CanOz]

A bottle of wine? That's the best you can do, a bottle of wine?

 

[banco]

A bottle of wine? That's the best you can do, a bottle of wine?

A $3,000 bottle of wine that BOF is desperately trying to claim he didn't receive.

 

[SirRumpole]

A bottle of wine? That's the best you can do, a bottle of wine?

So if it was $3,000 in a plain brown envelope would that be different ?

 

[sydboy007]

Considering how Abbott hounded Gillard over events from 20 years ago, claiming she should have perfect recall, his silence on Liberal members of parliament being unable to recall matters from just a few years back is telling.

I think they should stop using the "I don't recall" defence and start using the Abbott "There are some things the public has no particular right to know" defence. Sums up the politicians attitude to the voting plebs.

 

[CanOz]

So if it was $3,000 in a plain brown envelope would that be different ?

No of course not, bribery, lobbying or whatever you want to call this is wrong...but c'mon. Compared to the labor party the liberals are saints and will likely remain that way for the next decade...or at least until the corrupt unions are finally put to rest.

 

[SirRumpole]

On The Drum tonight it was said that Nick Greiner lost his job as Premier just because he appeared at ICAC, even though he did nothing wrong.

If Barry can't explain the discrepancy between his and another person's story , and why he made a phone call to the bloke after the wine was allegedly delivered, it's not a good look for him. It may not be anything criminal, but it may end his career.

 

[SirRumpole]

On The Drum tonight it was said that Nick Greiner lost his job as Premier just because he appeared at ICAC, even though he did nothing wrong.

If Barry can't explain the discrepancy between his and another person's story , and why he made a phone call to the bloke after the wine was allegedly delivered, it's not a good look for him. It may not be anything criminal, but it may end his career.

Told you so.

O'Farrell resigns.

For what it's worth I think O'farrell is a decent bloke who got caught by a memory slip. He's got the guts and integrity to accept the responsibility and fall on his sword.

 

[McLovin]

Told you so.

O'Farrell resigns.

For what it's worth I think O'farrell is a decent bloke who got caught by a memory slip. He's got the guts and integrity to accept the responsibility and fall on his sword.

Wow. It's amazing how deep that crook Obeid's influence goes.

Barry O was utterly useless as a premier. Good riddance. A politician shouldn't be accepting a $3,000 bottle of wine. Whether he remembers or not is irrelevant.

 

[trainspotter]

BOF resigns after receiving a bottle of wine he can't remember receiving, then ICAC is given a hand written note from BOF thanking Nick Di Girolamo for the 59 Grange? Geeeeee should have spent the corporate credit card up to 25k on hookers and alcohol and denied the lot !!!!

Good morning Worm your honour
The crown will plainly show
The prisoner who now stands before you
Was caught red handed showing feelings
Showing feelings of an almost human nature
This will not do

CALL THE SCHOOLMASTER

I always said he'd come to no good
In the end your honour
If they'd let me have my way I could
Have flayed him into shape
But my hands were tied
The bleeding hearts and artists
Let him get away with murder
Let me hammer him today

Crazy toys in the attic I am crazy
Truly gone fishing
They must have taken my marbles away
Crazy toys in the attic he is crazy

You little ****, you're in it now
I hope they throw away the key
You should talked to me more often
Than you did, but no you had to
Go your own way. Have you broken any homes up lately?

"Just five minutes Worm your honour him and me alone"

Baaaaaabe
Come to mother baby let me hold you in my arms
M'Lord I never wanted him to get in any trouble
Why'd he ever have to leave me
Worm your honour let me take him home

Crazy over the rainbow I am crazy
Bars in the window
There must have been a door there in the wall
When I came in
Crazy over the rainbow he is crazy

The evidence before the court is
Incontrovertible, there's no need for
The jury to retire
In all my years of judging
I have never heard before of
Some one more deserving
The full penalty of law
The way you made them suffer
Your exquisite wife and mother
Fills me with an urge to defecate
Since my friend you have revealed your deepest fear
I sentence you to be exposed before your peers

Tear down the wall

 

[sptrawler]

Told you so.

O'Farrell resigns.

For what it's worth I think O'farrell is a decent bloke who got caught by a memory slip. He's got the guts and integrity to accept the responsibility and fall on his sword.

It just goes to show Joe Hockey is walking on thin ice, when he talks about the age of entitlemint and the general population getting too many handouts.

Polticians, for some reason, seem to feel they are entitled to all their perks, including ridiculous pensions.
They also appear to be so concieted, as to see themselves as being above common law and the laws of decency.IMO

I think this NSW fiasco and the Thomson issue, is going to lead to the Royal Commission being far reaching, as it should be.
Politics has fallen to such a low level, that all and sundry see it as a easy path to riches and fortune. This was highligted in the recent W.A Senate elections, every man and his dog had a dip.

 

[So_Cynical]

Boom! oh those corrupt Liberals...should be a royal commission into Liberal party corruption.

 

[banco]

Told you so.

O'Farrell resigns.

For what it's worth I think O'farrell is a decent bloke who got caught by a memory slip. He's got the guts and integrity to accept the responsibility and fall on his sword.

Don't agree. It looks like he thought he could brazen it out by denying he'd ever received it but that he didn't realise they had the phone records (which seriously tripped him up on the witness stand). Then of course the thankyou note was the final nail in his coffin.

 

[sydboy007]

Quite telling that Abbott said BOF was "a servant to the Liberal party" before being "a servant of the people of NSW and of Australia"

Had to laugh at his media hissy fit over the use of the C word by a journalist.

 

[banco]

Quite telling that Abbott said BOF was "a servant to the Liberal party" before being "a servant of the people of NSW and of Australia"

Had to laugh at his media hissy fit over the use of the C word by a journalist.

The media should have taken off the gloves with this and the last NSW Government years ago (admittedly the Sydney Morning Herald did their best and was hampered by our draconian defamation laws).

 

[orr]

On The Drum tonight it was said that Nick Greiner lost his job as Premier just because he appeared at ICAC, even though he did nothing wrong.

Nick Greiner bribed Terry Metherell(one time state liberal education minister) out of parliment and into a high payed public postion, beause Metherell had become some form of inconvenience. Greiner appealed the corruption finding in the supreme court. There was a split decision 2-3 in Greiners favour.

That's from my memory 'your honour', but please check my phone records circa 1989, from memory.