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An anti-corruption commission has heard that Strathfield councillor Maheswaran hired a private investigator to surveil former mayor Matthew Blackmore, invoicing $134,000 for the work and making jokes about spy equipment and The Police song Every Breath You Take during proceedings.
Spy gear and Every Breath You Take: councillor who had mayor surveilled made jokes about it, Icac hearsfor allegedly blackmailing and illegally surveilling a Sydney mayor made jokes about spy equipment and the song Every Breath You Take, an anti-corruption inquiry has heard.
on Tuesday that he hired a private investigator to surveil Matthew Blackmore in 2022, with the investigator taking photographs and later audio recordings of the former mayor. Icac has heard that Blackmore had gone back on a deal, made with Maheswaran and another Labor councillor, to resign as mayor of Strathfield. Blackmore resigned in early 2023, and was replaced by the other councillor, Karen Pensabene.
The commission has heard that Maheswaran – who at the time of the surveillance was also a lawyer to now-fugitive developer Jean Nassif and an executive at his Toplace business – invoiced the company $134,000 for surveillance on Blackmore between November 2022 and January 2023. On Tuesday, counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC took Maheswaran to a message he sent Pensabene of a picture of her sitting at a cafe with Blackmore, followed by what Dwyer said was a cover of The Police’s 1983 hit single, Every Breath You Take.
“The next line of that song, as we all know, is: ‘I’ll be watching you,’” Dwyer said, to which Maheswaran agreed. “Councillor Pensabene obviously knew that recordings were being taken because you had discussed that with her, correct? ” Dwyer said. Icac is investigating whether Maheswaran and Pensabene engaged in illegal conduct towards Blackmore, including blackmail and possible breaches of the Surveillance Devices Act.
Maheswaran has denied any wrongdoing, while Pensabene has been released from her summons to appear before the commission for medical reasons. Liberal lobbyist offered $1,000 for media to cover rumour of minister's affair, Icac hears – video Earlier, the commission heard that when a friend sent him a picture of a pen with the Icac logo, Maheswaran joked: “You need to hand this to Matthew at some point”.
The friend then sent him a link to a website which sells CCTV and surveillance equipment, the inquiry heard. Maheswaran aware of audio recordings Last week, private investigator Shane De Kauwe gave evidence to the commission that he gave Maheswaran and Nassif multiple recording devices, which may have included voice recorder pens and a device he described as a “little square” that “looks like a tag you would drop on your keys”.
De Kauwe gave evidence that he began making recordings of Blackmore and others after legal advice obtained by Maheswaran that he could record a conversation he reasonably suspected was illegal. On Tuesday, Maheswaran said he became aware that De Kauwe had made audio recordings of Blackmore after the investigator offered to “go back and check” details from his notes.
“I honestly didn’t hear that part of his evidence, so I may have, I can’t really speak to it,” he said.as they discussed forcing Blackmore out of the role. On Tuesday, Maheswaran was taken to a message he wrote to Pensabene in November 2022, in which he wrote: “If he hands mayor over, I’m still going to get him.
” He accepted Dwyer’s suggestion that his dislike of Blackmore “had obviously developed to the point that you were intending to cause him damage at that stage, regardless of whether he handed over the mayoralty”. Tuesday was expected to be the final day of public hearings for Icac’s Operation Rosny, which has heard 10 weeks of evidence surrounding allegations involving the NSW Liberal party, Nassif, Strathfield councillors and others.
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Icac Strathfield Council Matthew Blackmore Kishore Maheswaran Surveillance Devices Act
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