Sacked Transport department official admits lying to ICAC about kickbacks

A sacked Transport department official has admitted lying to NSW’s anti-corruption watchdog over his involvement with the alleged mastermind of a multimillion-dollar kickback scheme with road contractors.

In his third day before an anti-corruption inquiry into the kickbacks, former Transport for NSW officer Peter Le admitted he had lied to the watchdog during a compulsory examination last December when he said that he did not know about his colleague Ibrahim Helmy receiving benefits from contractors.

Le also accepted that he lied to the Independent Commission Against Corruption late last year when he said he did not receive benefits in the form of cash or gift cards, when in fact he did.

Under anti-corruption laws in NSW, evidence provided to the ICAC can be used against a witness if they give false or misleading statements, the penalty for which can be up to five years’ imprisonment.

The ICAC is investigating allegations Helmy was the mastermind behind corrupt relationships with nine companies that were paid at least $343 million in contracts by Transport for NSW in return for kickbacks. Le has confirmed to the inquiry that his involvement with Helmy in the kickback scheme began in 2018.

Under questioning from ICAC counsel assisting Rob Ranken, SC, Le also conceded he had withheld information from the commission about the fact he was aware of Helmy’s improper arrangement with contractor Complete Linemarking. “It wasn’t deliberate, so I do apologise,” he responded.

He also admitted that he did not mention to the commission in his compulsory examination last year or in his earlier evidence to the public inquiry that he had been involved in an improper arrangement with Helmy with line-marking company Capital Lines & Signs.

Phone messages and emails dating as far back as 2018 were shown to the public inquiry on Monday which revealed Helmy and Le discussing how they would deal with contractors.

Their messages were strewn with homosexual references and innuendo, which Le said were meant as jokes. He has previously said that Helmy’s nickname for him was “Penis”, while their messages frequently referred to the male organ.

In messages in May 2018, the pair discussed the inflation of a work order for contractor Complete Linemarking, the profits for which would be split.

“Can’t wait for pay day,” Le said in one of the messages.

“That is the only reason I’ve been putting up with this shithole,” Helmy responded, referring to Transport for NSW.

“It’s taken a while tho. But it’s like a landslide. Once it starts, it just keeps getting better.”

Other messages in September 2018 also revealed the pair discussing different methods that they could use to further their allegedly improper relationships with contractors. One of them included Helmy proposing that he carry out pricing for tenders without the involvement of contractors.

Le admitted that he had shared with Helmy “chain of responsibility” plans from three companies – Boral Asphalting, Downer and Town & Country Asphalting – without their knowledge. These were then shared with one of Helmy’s favoured contractors.

The inquiry was also shown a WhatsApp group chat which Helmy and Le had set up that included five other former or present workmates at Transport for NSW.

In 2019, the pair discussed in the group chat cash payments being preferable to receiving gift cards because of the limited shops they could be redeemed at and expiry dates.

Le told the inquiry that Helmy preferred cash payments from contractors because gift cards were a “bit useless to him”.

In the group chat named “sexual intercourse”, Helmy told Le that an Australian Post gift card as means of payment was the “worst-case scenario”.

Le was questioned about whether the other members of the WhatsApp group – both former and present Transport for NSW staff – asked about the pair’s discussion about gift cards, but he did not recall.

Pressed on whether he was concerned about them freely discussing gift cards in a group chat with others, Le said he was “a little” but added that the other members did not know what they were talking about.

Le has maintained that he received only one $200 gift card. However, he has previously told the inquiry that Helmy paid him about $5000 in cash for his help in their arrangement.

Helmy, 38, is accused of pocketing $11.5 million in kickbacks over 15 years from the contractors in return for them being awarded work. He failed to appear before the ICAC in May and, since then, has been on the run from police.

Le was stood down from Transport for NSW late last year and was sacked in February.

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