So long and farewell from this ICAC blogger
It’s been a long ten weeks, loyal Operation Rosny readers, but we’ve finally made it to the end of our live coverage of this public inquiry.
We’ve seen a chaotic dial-in from fugitive property developer Jean Nassif, claims of huge payments for Anita Perrottet’s “mum’s perspective”, and political machinations by tarot card. There’s no question this public inquiry has had its popcorn bucket moments.
From inside the media room almost every day of these hearings, a more concerning theme has emerged to this blogger: a complete disregard for the voting public by shadowy political figures looking to subvert democracy and line their own pockets.
The ICAC has shone a spotlight on how factional political players and handsomely paid consultants allegedly used significant amounts of money from Jean Nassif, Catholic Schools NSW and pub owner Michael O’Hara to try and win the game of state politics.
Counsel assisting’s final question
Peggy Dwyer, SC, has wrapped her final stretch of questions for this public inquiry.
The ICAC heard Sharangan Maheswaran drafted a statement signed by Mohammad Abedin making claims against former Strathfield mayor Matthew Blackmore.
Abedin previously denied anyone else was involved in drafting his statement, and claimed ChatGPT produced it from his own prompts.
Maheswaran said he drafted the statement with Abedin on the phone. The statement made several allegations against Blackmore; it said Abedin feared for his safety and that Blackmore was “dangerous”.
Sharangan Maheswaran made covert recordings of meetings with Blackmore’s colleague
The ICAC has heard Sharangan Maheswaran had several meetings with a real estate agent and colleague of Mohammad Blackmore’s, Mohammad Abedin, before Maheswaran made a complaint about Blackmore to the ICAC.
The ICAC heard that Maheswaran made audio recordings of at least two of those meetings without Abedin’s knowledge.
“I hit record to preserve the contents of this conversation … essentially to evidence my dealings with Mr Abedin
In one recorded conversation, Maheswaran asked Abedin what he believed Blackmore would tell the ICAC.
‘I’m not going to be bullied’: Maheswaran unhappy with Dwyer’s interruption
Sharangan Maheswaran has told counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer, SC, that he “won’t be bullied” after she asked him to stick to her questions.
Maheswaran was being asked about messages he shared with the property developer Charbel Demian, whose Loftus Street Homebush planning proposal was before Strathfield Council.
Dwyer asked if Maheswaran formed the view that discussion about the proposal at council should be adjourned. Maheswaran launched into an explanation that he actually thought it should be refused, but that Matthew Blackmore and others were going to lobby him to support the proposal. He was then cut off by Dwyer.
“Mr Maheswaran could you focus on my questions for the remainder of the afternoon so that we can finish this evidence?” Dwyer asked.
“I’m giving my evidence as I understand it, and I’m not going to be bullied out of allowing this to be taken wildly out of context,” Maheswaran retorted.
Dwyer assured Maheswaran she didn’t wish to bully him, rather she wanted to conclude his evidence today.
‘I feel sick knowing my children have been surveilled’
Sharangan Maheswaran has denied telling Matthew Blackmore he and his children were under surveillance after text messages showed the then mayor feeling “sick”.
Maheswaran told the ICAC that at a January 2023 meeting, Blackmore may have inferred that he was under surveillance based on something Maheswaran said, but he did not explicitly tell the then mayor about the surveillance.
Blackmore texted Karen Pensabene: “I feel sick that my children have been surveilled by Sharangan’s undercover people”.
Blackmore said he felt he couldn’t return home after learning of the surveillance, and was instead driving around aimlessly.
Hearing resumes
We’ve returned from the lunch break and Sharangan Maheswaran is now being asked about evidence he gave in a private hearing two years ago.
He was asked about a text he sent to Karen Pensabene reading “We want to menace Matthew”. He told the 2024 hearing that he meant he wanted to be an absolute pain to Matthew Blackmore.
Before the lunch break in today’s inquiry, however, Maheswaran said the text message was actually a typo and his message should have conveyed that they should not menace Blackmore.
Maheswaran said despite the contradictory evidence, he wasn’t lying in either answer, rather he has since 2024 had more time to look at all of his messages around that time to prompt his memory.
‘The cards say hit him’: Texts show ramping up of pressure campaign
The ICAC is hearing more texts between Sharangan Maheswaran and Karen Pensabene in early 2023, as the pair continued to press Matthew Blackmore to resign as mayor.
Maheswaran sent Pensabene a photo of a series of tarot cards with the message: “The cards say hit him”. Maheswaran was also drafting text messages that Pensabene sent to Blackmore, the ICAC heard.
He also messaged Blackmore insisting he meet with either him or Pensabene that day, rather than waiting another day.
“My blood pressure is through the roof. I want to calm down a bit,” Blackmore texted Maheswaran.
“Look, me and Karen Pensabene are around until 5.15pm,” Maheswaran responded.
“If you want to chat with her alone, that’s fine. You will feel better for it. I really don’t understand why you’re not meeting. There won’t be a meeting tomorrow.”
The commission has broken for lunch and will return at 2pm.
‘I’m actually loving this’: Maheswaran quizzed on conflict with mayor
Sharangan Maheswaran texted a fellow councillor “I’m actually loving this” while mounting a campaign to force Matthew Blackmore to resign as mayor, the ICAC heard.
Maheswaran didn’t shy away from that when asked by Peggy Dwyer, SC, if he was actually loving the conflict.
“Oh yes absolutely, being able to openly confront him about all the things he’s been doing for the last 12 months, especially in relation to me,” Maheswaran said.
Maheswaran also told Karen Pensabene “we want to menace Matthew”.
The former councillor said in explanation that around the time of that message, he spoke to a few people with legal training about what could be considered blackmail under the Crimes Act. He used the word “menace” rather than “threaten” or “intimidate” because he thought they needed to be cautious, Maheswaran said.
Maheswaran printed thousands of flyers with damaging information about Blackmore
The inquiry is now turning to a flyer that Sharangan Maheswaran created with damaging information and allegations about Matthew Blackmore, after he reneged on a deal to resign as mayor.
Labor councillor Karen Pensabene texted Blackmore with a warning: “Sharangan, I think, is out of control”.
Pensabene said Maheswaran was printing 20,000 copies of a flyer that would be distributed throughout the Strathfield council area with damaging information about Blackmore.
Maheswaran told the ICAC sending those flyers was “par for the course of politics in that local government area”.
Operation Rosny in photographs
Over the past 10 weeks Herald photographers have been waiting patiently outside the ICAC building in the CBD to capture key witnesses and participants as they come and go.
A couple of witnesses proved harder to capture, arriving and leaving by car, but even these were snapped by our vigilant photographic team.
Here’s some of the key images and personalities we have captured over the past months:
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
