Gambling addict told father to ‘burn, burn, burn’ documents, Icac hears
Inquiry into $1.5m loans listens to recording of phone call between former RailCorp executive and his daughter
Wednesday 26 February 2014
theguardian.com,
The gambling-addict daughter of a former RailCorp executive told her father to “burn, burn, burn” documents in her room after a raid by investigators, a corruption inquiry has heard.
But the executive, Joe Camilleri, maintains the loans were personal and did not buy former employees favours.
In a tapped phone call played at an Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing in Sydney, Jessica Adouni is heard urging her father to “do it now”.
The call was secretly recorded just after an ICAC raid on Camilleri’s home.
That followed his sacking by RailCorp after he had asked colleagues for large loans to help his daughter.
The ICAC heard on Wednesday that Camilleri paid out more than $4m over four years to his daughter, despite her increasingly questionable claims for money, which were supposedly to cover high legal costs and bank fees.
He borrowed money from colleagues and also enlisted his sister Carmen Attard to borrow money to help Adouni.
The ICAC is investigating whether people who contributed to the $1.5m Camilleri and Attard raised for Adouni received any personal or professional benefit.
Camilleri told the ICAC he believed his daughter’s reasons for needing money between 2008 and 2013, and only learnt later of her gambling problem.
He repeatedly denied he acted corruptly or favourably towards those who lent him money, despite some working for firms that were later involved in RailCorp tender processes.
Counsel assisting the commission Nicholas Polin played the phone call from August 2013 in which Adouni was heard telling her father after the ICAC raid she wanted to “make sure there’s nothing left”.
“Dad, they will come back, don’t be stupid.
“Any papers, burn, burn, burn, that’s all you’ve got to do ... do it now.”
Camilleri denied destroying anything.
Polin repeatedly asked Camilleri if he was a liar after he denied to RailCorp investigators he had borrowed money from people working in organisations that had business with RailCorp.
“I wasn’t lying at the time, but it can be perceived as a lie, yes,” Camilleri said.
Evidence tendered to the ICAC included an email to Camilleri from a “Richard Dipshit” purporting to be Adouni’s lawyer, and a badly written letter claiming to be from an ASIO security chief about money in a bank account.
A later email from the purported lawyer apologised for the “Dipshit” reference, saying his grandson had been using his computer.
The ICAC heard Adouni said her identity had been stolen and was being used by people to buy property overseas.
Polin asked Camilleri if he was “incredibly stupid” or telling the truth.
Camilleri said he might have been “very naive and had too much trust in my daughter”.
The hearing continues.
But the executive, Joe Camilleri, maintains the loans were personal and did not buy former employees favours.
In a tapped phone call played at an Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing in Sydney, Jessica Adouni is heard urging her father to “do it now”.
The call was secretly recorded just after an ICAC raid on Camilleri’s home.
That followed his sacking by RailCorp after he had asked colleagues for large loans to help his daughter.
The ICAC heard on Wednesday that Camilleri paid out more than $4m over four years to his daughter, despite her increasingly questionable claims for money, which were supposedly to cover high legal costs and bank fees.
He borrowed money from colleagues and also enlisted his sister Carmen Attard to borrow money to help Adouni.
The ICAC is investigating whether people who contributed to the $1.5m Camilleri and Attard raised for Adouni received any personal or professional benefit.
Camilleri told the ICAC he believed his daughter’s reasons for needing money between 2008 and 2013, and only learnt later of her gambling problem.
He repeatedly denied he acted corruptly or favourably towards those who lent him money, despite some working for firms that were later involved in RailCorp tender processes.
Counsel assisting the commission Nicholas Polin played the phone call from August 2013 in which Adouni was heard telling her father after the ICAC raid she wanted to “make sure there’s nothing left”.
“Dad, they will come back, don’t be stupid.
“Any papers, burn, burn, burn, that’s all you’ve got to do ... do it now.”
Camilleri denied destroying anything.
Polin repeatedly asked Camilleri if he was a liar after he denied to RailCorp investigators he had borrowed money from people working in organisations that had business with RailCorp.
“I wasn’t lying at the time, but it can be perceived as a lie, yes,” Camilleri said.
Evidence tendered to the ICAC included an email to Camilleri from a “Richard Dipshit” purporting to be Adouni’s lawyer, and a badly written letter claiming to be from an ASIO security chief about money in a bank account.
A later email from the purported lawyer apologised for the “Dipshit” reference, saying his grandson had been using his computer.
The ICAC heard Adouni said her identity had been stolen and was being used by people to buy property overseas.
Polin asked Camilleri if he was “incredibly stupid” or telling the truth.
Camilleri said he might have been “very naive and had too much trust in my daughter”.
The hearing continues.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/26/gambling-addict-told-father-to-burn-burn-burn-documents-after-icac-raid
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