Accused mastermind showed off bundles of cash in kickbacks to his mate

A now-sacked Transport for NSW official sent a close friend a photo of envelopes containing bundles of cash he had received from a road contractor as part of his share of inflated work orders just a few years after he finished the government agency’s graduate program, an anti-corruption inquiry has heard.

In his second day in the witness box, the alleged mastermind of a multimillion-dollar kickback scheme, Ibrahim Helmy, was grilled about his dealings with road contractor Complete Linemarking, and spreadsheets detailing the amount of money he had received for his split of inflated work invoices.

The inquiry into the kickback scandal was shown a text message exchange between Helmy and his close friend and associate Adam Taki on July 24, 2015.

Earlier that day, Helmy had texted Complete Linemarking director Peco Jankulovski about meeting at the back of an Oporto restaurant in Wetherill Park. At the time, Helmy was a project engineer at what was then Roads and Maritime Services.

In the exchange, Helmy said: “I got all the money off the guy. Got about 84k with me now haha.”

Taki replied: “How much he give you?”

Helmy then responded: “He gave me about 61k. Need to count them lol.”

The then project engineer added that he “had 23 from before”, which he conceded to the inquiry on Thursday was a reference to three payments he had received from Complete Linemarking previously.

In the exchange, Helmy told his friend that Jankulovski “lost 8k”, saying that the Complete Linemarking director had told him “he pulled it out of the bank but now he can’t find it”.

About four months later – on November 14, 2015 – Helmy sent Taki a photo of envelopes containing bundles of cash lying on a bedspread in his home. The amount of money in each envelope was scrawled on the front.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating allegations that Helmy, 38, was the mastermind behind corrupt relationships with nine companies, including Complete Linemarking, that were paid at least $343 million in contracts by Transport for NSW in return for kickbacks.

He is accused of pocketing $11.5 million in kickbacks – including bundles of cash, gold bullion and cryptocurrency – from the contractors in return for them being awarded work on the state’s roads.

Helmy conceded to the inquiry on Thursday that by 2020 he wanted to stop assisting Complete Linemarking because he had entered into a deal with another company, Capital Lines and Signs.

In a text exchange with fellow Transport for NSW officer Peter Le on June 26, 2020, Helmy said: “I wana f… off complete linemaking. He’s been a burden and still hasn’t paid up.”

Asked by the commission whether he wanted to stop any arrangement with the company at the time, Helmy confirmed that was the case, and also conceded the reason was he had not been paid the full amount owing to him.

Under questioning from ICAC counsel assisting Rob Ranken, SC, Helmy accepted the proposition that Complete Linemarking had become a hassle to him and were not paying what he believed was due to him.

Helmy also admitted to the inquiry that he had altered emails and attachments for the purpose of his improper arrangements with contractors.

After four months on the run, the US-born Helmy was discovered by detectives hiding in a cupboard in a unit block in Lakemba in south-western Sydney on September 26, and taken into custody, where he remains apart from his appearances at the ICAC inquiry.

The Sydney University engineering graduate was suspended from his role at Transport for NSW in September last year following raids by authorities.

They seized gold bullion bars and nuggets and $12,317 in cash from his Merrylands home, as well as a Maserati, $413,000 worth of cryptocurrency held by him, and the equivalent of $8 million in cryptocurrency in a Binance account in the name of his sister.

Four months later, he was fired by Transport for NSW after notching up about 15 years at the agency and its predecessors including the Roads and Maritime Services.

The public inquiry into the kickbacks is part of an ICAC investigation known as Operation Wyvern, and is the fourth into corruption in procurement processes at Transport for NSW since 2019. Hearings are scheduled to continue until the end of the month.

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