In Australia, ICAC hears evidence of $134,000 paid to surveil ex-mayor — ABC News Australia

Australia’s New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) heard evidence that development company Toplace paid a private investigator $134,000 to surveil former Strathfield mayor Matthew Blackmore. As ABC News reports, the covert operation lasted several months in 2022 and 2023.

Testimony on payment for surveillance

Toplace lawyer and Strathfield municipal councillor for the Labor Party Sharangan Maheswaran told ICAC that he persuaded his employer to partially cover the surveillance costs. According to him, the matter had a “tangential” connection to the developer, while another company linked to Toplace founder Jean Nassif owed him money.

During the hearings, evidence was also heard that private investigator Shane de Kauwe gave Maheswaran a number of covert surveillance devices, including a recording pen. In messages tendered to ICAC, Maheswaran wrote to an acquaintance that he should see his spy equipment.

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Conclusion of Operation Rosny

According to evidence heard by ICAC, the investigator photographed Blackmore and recorded his conversations at a local cafe. In one message, de Kauwe said that he followed Blackmore to the Strathfield Council library and conducted surveillance for more than 20 hours, adding that he may have fallen asleep for a time.

Maheswaran denied receiving all recordings made during the surveillance and said that he sought legal advice about it. The Operation Rosny investigation is examining allegations that Maheswaran and Labor Party councillor Karen Pensabene allegedly resorted to blackmail in an attempt to remove Blackmore as mayor and secure Pensabene’s appointment to the position. The public hearings, which lasted two months, moved into their expected final day.