OOhhhh my oh my
Michael McGurk told John Robertson ‘plenty of money in this deal, even some for you’ union boss claims
UNIONS NSW boss Mark Lennon says John Robertson told him in 2007 that the murdered standover man Michael McGurk had said to him about his $30 million bid for Currawong: “there’s plenty of money in this deal, even some for you”.
Mr Lennon gave that evidence today in the parliamentary inquiry into an alleged $3 million bribe offer Mr McGurk made to Mr Robertson when he was Unions NSW boss, which The Daily Telegraph revealed last year.
Mr Robertson, now the Opposition Leader, has come under fire for never reporting the matter to police.
Mr Lennon said he did not feel at the time of his conversation with Mr Robertson that the matter needed to be reported.
He said the conversation occurred in the context of Mr McGurk complaining that he missed out on the bid for the former union retreat despite offering higher than his opponents.
In the end the developer Allen Linz won the right to buy the site for $11 million.
The state Labor government in its last throes controversially bought the property off Mr Linz for $12.2 million in 2011.
ICAC looked into the matter and found former Planning Minister Tony Kelly corrupt for backdating a letter related to the sale but no charges were laid against him.
“John and I were discussing the matter in his office,” Mr Lennon said.
“Mr McGurk had said to Mr Robertson ‘there’s plenty of money in this deal, even some in it for you’.
“John responded with the words ... ‘if you have any money, put it in the bid’.”
Mr Robertson had not told Mr Lennon about a $3 million figure but last year he told The Daily Telegraph that he was offered a 10 per cent cut of the Currawong bid.
“There was never ever any mention of discussions I had with Mr Robertson of a figure.”
Government MPs Trevor Khan and Mr Pearce questioned Mr Lennon as to why the bribe offer had not been reported to Unions NSW’s finance committee, auditors of the sale or the police.
Mr Lennon told the committee he did not regard it as an actual bribe offer but perhaps the ‘intimation’ of a bribe.
“You said McGurk said there was ‘something in it for you’ how else would you interpret it?” Mr Pearce said.
Mr Lennon was also questioned about the fact the agent for the sale was David Tanevski, a former friend of former Labor minister Joe Tripodi, who had previously been a director of a company with Mr Linz.
Mr Lennon said Mr Tanevski was paid $96,000 for getting the sale through.
Mr Robertson is set to give evidence this afternoon.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/michael-mcgurk-told-john-robertson-plenty-of-money-in-this...
