Anti-corruption inquiry examines private investigator’s work and allegations of pressure campaign involving local councillor.
Australia’s New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has heard that property developer Toplace paid $134,000 for private surveillance of former Strathfield mayor Matthew Blackmore.
The evidence emerged on Tuesday during the final day of public hearings in Operation Rosny, as former Labor councillor and Toplace lawyer Sharangan Maheswaran gave testimony. The commission is examining whether Maheswaran and/or fellow councillor Karen Pensabene engaged in conduct involving the dishonest or partial exercise of official functions, breach of public trust, possible blackmail, or breaches of the Surveillance Devices Act in relation to Blackmore.
Toplace Paid for Surveillance of Former Mayor, Inquiry Hears:
Private investigator Shane De Kauwe invoiced Toplace for the surveillance work, which included following Blackmore, taking photographs and making audio recordings over several months in late 2022 and early 2023. Maheswaran, who was both a Strathfield councillor and a senior executive and lawyer for Toplace at the time, told the inquiry he persuaded the company to cover the costs.
Maheswaran said the surveillance had a “tangential” connection to Toplace’s owner, the now-fugitive developer Jean Nassif, because Blackmore had associated with an individual Maheswaran believed was targeting him due to his links with the developer. Nassif’s daughter Ashlyn had initially treated the invoices as a personal expense for Maheswaran, but he argued Toplace should pay them and offset the amount against other money the company owed him.
“I believe that Toplace paid it on the basis that I was insisting that I need to get this paid, and I will offset it against other liabilities you owe me because I regard the targeting of me by this individual to be linked to Toplace Pty Ltd,” Maheswaran told the commission.
ICAC Inquiry Probes Surveillance, Politics and Toplace Ties:
The inquiry has previously heard that the surveillance material, along with other information, was used in a pressure campaign that led to Blackmore’s resignation as mayor in early 2023. Blackmore, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, later reported the matter to ICAC. He has described feeling distressed upon learning of the surveillance, including concerns that it extended to his family.
De Kauwe, a former Australian Federal Police detective, earlier gave evidence about using recording devices disguised as pens and placing cameras outside locations while trailing Blackmore. In one instance at a cafe, the recordings captured only mundane details such as breakfast orders rather than substantive conversations.
Toplace, once a prominent Sydney developer, collapsed in 2023 with debts exceeding $1.6 billion. Nassif fled to Lebanon and remains a fugitive. Maheswaran received nearly $850,000 from the company over two years while working for it.
Operation Rosny has examined a range of allegations involving illegal political donations, influence-peddling and local government conduct linked to Nassif and Toplace. The public hearings, which ran for more than nine weeks, have now concluded. Commissioner Fabian Gleeson will have 180 days after final submissions to deliver findings.
The case has shone a light on the intersection of property development, local politics and private surveillance in Sydney’s inner west, raising questions about the boundaries of political manoeuvring and the use of corporate resources in personal or political disputes.