Following a three-year inquiry, ICAC’s Operation Dasha found Mr Hawatt, as well as former councillor Pierre Azzi, and then director of city planning, Spiro Stavis, engaged in “serious corrupt conduct” through misusing their positions “in relation to planning proposals and applications”.
Canterbury’s former general manager Jim Montague was also alleged to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct by allowing himself to be pressured by Mr Hawatt and Mr Azzi into appointing Mr Stavis as the council’s director of city planning.
Mr Montague told the Torch that he “acknowledged and accepts” that he had made mistakes in what was ”a very, very difficult period” at the council.
“These mistakes were mine and I accept the consequences,” he said.
“I’m grateful that despite the result, my evidence was found to be honest and credible, and no charges were recommended.”
ICAC also alleges that Mr Hawatt and Mr Azzi “failed to disclose their relationships with developers” in relation to certain development applications and modifications to development consents.
However Mr Hawatt says ICAC “got the dates wrong” in relation to the allegations around Mr Stavis’ employment and that all the other allegations were “based on nothing”.
“ICAC are not interested in the truth,” he said.
The Commission also has made 23 corruption prevention recommendations to the State Government, the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) and the former Canterbury Council, which was amalgamated with Bankstown in 2016.
Canterbury Bankstown City Mayor Khal Asfour said not only had they implemented the applicable recommendations, they had also strengthened their Code of Conduct and fraud awareness programs and noted that “no current council employee has been named or implicated in any wrongdoing at all”.
“The dark clouds hanging over the former Canterbury Council have been lifted and the innuendo and finger pointing can now be laid to rest,” he said.
The report has been handed to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for consideration about whether any criminal charges can be laid in respect to those mentioned in the report.
Mr Azzi declined to comment on the report and Mr Stavis had not replied before deadline.
