ICAC & The Entitled Liberals

[boris1gary]

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/icac-liberal-party-official-john-caputo-admits-giving-cheques-to-chris-har... 

ICAC: Liberal Party official John Caputo admits giving cheques to Chris Hartcher

A Liberal Party official linked to Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Premier Mike Baird has come under fire at a corruption inquiry over thousands of dollars in cheques he gave to former state energy minister Chris Hartcher.

John Caputo, a fundraiser for Mr Abbott and Mr Baird and a former mayor of Warringah, admitted at the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Thursday that it was a "diversion" from normal practice to give political donations made out to the NSW Liberal Party directly to Mr Hartcher.

This included cheques handed over by donors at a March 2011 fundraising dinner attended by Mr Hartcher and former Attorney-General Greg Smith.

Junior counsel assisting the commission Greg O'Mahoney asked whether it "sounds a bit like a fraud" that cheques made out to the NSW Liberals were not given first to head office or its treasurer, as Mr Caputo said was the normal practice.

"No," Mr Caputo replied.

He said that Liberal Party donations were sometimes given directly to particular regions, but he struggled to recall other examples.

[boris1gary]

seriously.......these fools could be our future liberal politicians

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/welcome-to-fight-club-young-liberal-style-20140430-37i2m.html

  Welcome to Fight Club, Young Liberal style

They were Young Liberals on a covert mission, codenamed Black Ops. The dress code was black, the meeting time was 10pm, and it was BYO ladder. Their mission: to tear down ''illegally'' posted campaign posters on telegraph poles, allegedly including their own.

Inspired by the buff Brad Pitt in cult movie Fight Club, a former adviser to minister Chris Hartcher fired off an email on August 11, 2011, to whip the party's youngest members into action.

Aaron Henry, the author of the missive, assured the Independent Commission Against Corruption that they were not waging a covert war on their political opponents and were even removing their own posters.

''Come on Mr Henry! Are you telling us that ''Black Ops'' was Young Liberals sneaking out at night, removing your own signs?'' said Geoffrey Watson, SC, counsel assisting the commission.

''It's a light hearted thing in order to help keep Young Liberals engaged and meeting us to go out and do work at 10pm at night,'' said Mr Henry.

An incredulous Mr Watson said that it was more likely the group was ''slashing'' the posters of their political rivals, but Mr Henry insisted this was a very small part of the crack team's work.

The Young Liberals members appeared to have a preoccupation with dark arts. The inquiry has previously heard that fellow Chris Hartcher staffer and Young Lib Tim Koelma also had a ''Black Ops''.

Mr Koelma's ingenious scheme was to destroy the career of Sydney Water chief Dr Kerry Schott, who was proving to be a serious roadblock for Liberal donor Nick Di Girolamo getting a billion-dollar deal with the state government.

''Yay black ops!'' Mr Koelma wrote in an email to his brother Eric, attaching an ''anonymous'' and false complaint to the ICAC about Dr Schott.

[lakeland27]

 it isn't surprising they teach their youngsters to break the law.

this whitecollar crime  streak infects the entire party 

[boris1gary]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/30/baird-corruption-crack-down-liberals-icacMike Baird vows corruption crackdown as Liberals wash dirty linen at Icac

NSW premier pledges action as Young Liberals contradicts state upper house member over donation from property developer

Baird made his pledge on Wednesday as a former vice-president of the state’s Young Liberals contradicted claims by Marie Ficarra, the state upper-house member who stood down from the party on Monday, that she had directed a political donation from a property developer to the party’s youth wing.

Charles Perrottet, the younger brother of NSW finance minister Dominic Perrottet, told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) that he did not “recall” receiving instructions from Ficarra that he should contact a property developer, Tony Merhi.

The Icac hearings are providing daily embarrassment to the Liberals. Two weeks ago, state premier Barry O’Farrell resigned after the inquiry heard that he had received a $3,000 bottle of wine from former Australian Water Holdings boss Nick Di Girolamo.

[lakeland27]

dear me , that doesn't sound good does it ? and so close to home for the PM . I guess being from the same group he'd have loyalists telling him of all this carry on in the party. i wonder why he didn't step in himself as party leader years ago. his eye is either off the ball or adhered to it somehow. one or the other.

[freshwater-2]

Oh yes.  I remember the odious Caputo and his gang.  The sworn enemy of many, including me. He was mayor and a councilman on the Warringah Council when I lived there..

Because of the Council shenanigans and  the people of Warringah losing confidence, an Administrator was called in to run the Council.  The Administrator was like a breath of fresh air.

I just hope that ICAC hasn't finished with Caputo. .

[boris1gary]

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/police-minister-mike-gallacher-steps-down-after-icac-hears-he-was-involved...

Police Minister Mike Gallacher steps down after ICAC hears he was involved in 'corrupt scheme' with Nathan Tinkler

Mike Gallacher has stepped aside as police minister after a corruption inquiry heard he hatched a "corrupt scheme" with Nathan Tinkler's property development group to receive illegal donations.

In a development that will send shockwaves through the Baird government, the Independent Commission Against Corruption heard on Friday that Mr Gallacher was intimately involved in setting up a scheme for Buildev to pay tens of thousands of dollars in illegal donations to a Liberal Party slush fund.

[lakeland27]

 tut tut. one wonders how it could become any worse for the liberals . but quietly hoping it does ..

[boris1gary]

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@lakeland27 wrote:

 tut tut. one wonders how it could become any worse for the liberals . but quietly hoping it does ..

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quietly? not me, very loudly hoping it does - the whole mob should be sacked and everything they have done in NSW needs to be investigated, especially what they did to Workers Comp - there has already been links with insurance companies who have benefited greatly and many jobs in that industry lost because of the draconian changes.

[boris1gary]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/02/commission-of-audit-tony-shepherd-grilled-liberal-slush...Commission of Audit's Tony Shepherd grilled over Liberal slush fund

Audit chief claims he can’t remember making $1,500 political donation alleged to have been paid to a fund under Icac scrutiny

Tony Shepherd: 'Frankly I can’t remember the donation. I can’t remember going to the event.'

The head of the government’s Commission of Audit made a $1,500 donation to the Liberal party which was allegedly paid into a slush fund currently being examined by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac).

Tony Shepherd, who released the Commission of Audit's report with the government on Thursday, faced a Senate committee hearing into the Commission of Audit on Friday morning.

Icac documents reveal Shepherd made a $1,500 donation to the Liberal party in 2010 which was then paid into the slush fund the Free Enterprise Foundation set up to help bankroll the NSW 2011 Liberal election campaign.