THE Independent Commission Against Corruption has found that in 2010 former Member for Londonderry Bart Bassett solicited political donations from Buildev.
The ICAC findings do not constitute acts of corruption, and the ICAC did not recommend the director of public prosecution bring charges against Mr Bassett.
Mr Bassett’s dealings with Buildev in 2010 were investigated in 2014 by the ICAC, after it was alleged he solicited a donation from the company.
The ICAC report said the company associated with Buildev called Boardwalk Enterprises paid $18,000 to the Free Enterprise Foundation, a body used by the NSW Liberal Party to hide political donations, and then paid into the campaign account of Mr Bassett to help him contest the seat of Londonderry in 2011.
Buildev was originally the company behind the Redbank development.
Mr Bassett was accused of asking then Buildev contract consultant and now Redbank project director Mark Regent for a donation to help with his election campaign.
Mr Bassett denied the allegations, although the ICAC investigation, known as Operation Spicer, found that he knowingly asked for the donation.
Mr Bassett repeatedly told the ICAC he kept himself at arm’s length from the donations made to his campaign, which was at odds to the testimony of Mr Regent and NSW Liberal Party finance director Simon McInnes.
The ICAC report said it accepted the testimony of Mr Regent and Mr McInnes, not Mr Bassett.
The report found Mr Regent and Mr McInnes to “generally reliable witnesses”.
When giving testimoney to the ICAC in 2014, Mr Bassett mentioned that Kim Ford, who was Mr Bassett’s campaign manager, was one of the people who was involved with documenting political donations.
The ICAC report into Operation Spicer did not mention Kim Ford, who is the Mayor of Hawkesbury.
Chapter 32 of the report was dedicated to Mr Bassett’s dealings.
The chapter concludes that:
“The Commission finds that in 2010, for the purposes of his 2011 NSW state election campaign, Mr Bassett solicited a political donation from Buildev, a property developer.
“This culminated in the drawing of a cheque, dated 13 December 2010, for $18,000 on the account of Boardwalk Resources, which was payable to the Free Enterprise Foundation.
“The Free Enterprise Foundation subsequently sent money to the NSW Liberal Party, which included the $18,000. The $18,000 was used towards the purchase of a key seats package for Mr Bassett’s 2011 election campaign in the seat of Londonderry.
“Although the cheque for $18,000 was drawn on the account of Boardwalk Resources, the donation was made for Buildev. Mr Bassett was aware at the time he solicited the political donation that Buildev was a property developer and knew it was not able to make a political donation and that he was not able to accept a political donation from a property developer.”
The full report can be viewed here.