Did Someone Target Mr O'Farrell?
The barrister leading an ICAC inquiry has raised questions about whether damaging information about Premier Barry O'Farrell's $3000 bottle of wine was strategically leaked to the media to bring him down.
In the final minutes of a 23-day inquiry into the company linked to the Obeid family, the man who admitted he gave Mr O'Farrell the Penfolds Grange Hermitage was asked how the media knew about the gift "before ICAC did".
Former AWH chief executive Nick Di Girolamo was also asked whether he told former Liberal state energy minister Chris Hartcher about the gift, which was sent on April 20, 2011.
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"Who in the world did you tell that you'd bought Mr O'Farrell the bottle of Grange?" counsel assisting the commission, Geoffrey Watson, SC, asked.
"Did you tell another politician, a fellow called Hartcher?" Mr Watson said.
"I don't believe so," Mr Di Girolamo replied.
"Are you sure about that?" Mr Watson pressed.
Mr Hartcher quit the cabinet in December last year after ICAC investigators raided his Central Coast office over a separate inquiry into political donations, which is due to start hearings on April 28.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/how-the-bottle-leaked-did-someone-target-barry-ofarrell-20140416-36s2j.htm...
Not that I don't think Mr O'Farrell should've known better than to let himself be courted by such as the Obeids but I do think he was way out of his depth there.
The best and most honourable thing he could do was fall on his sword IMO.
