His interest in turning waste into energy – and the prospect of developing a facility to do so in NSW – was the reason he travelled to China with property developers who were linked to multimillion-dollar apartment projects in the centre of Hurstville,Hindi told the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Tuesday.
Former Hurstville and Georges River Liberal councillor Con Hindi arrives at the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Tuesday.Kate Geraghty
The ICAC is investigating whether Hindi,along with former Hurstville and Georges River councillor Vince Badalati and former Hurstville councillor Philip Sansom,sought or accepted benefits – including overseas flights and accommodation – in exchange for favouring the interests of property developers between 2014 and 2021.
It is also investigating whether Hindi,Badalati and Sansom deliberately failed to declare conflicts of interest arising from their relationships with those developers.
The developers – Philip Uy,Yuqing Liu and Wensheng Liu – had plans for a 75-unit apartment block at Treacy Street and the Landmark Square project,comprising 357 residential units and a 200-room hotel,in Hurstville.
Wensheng Liu,Yuqing Liu,Vince Badalati and Con Hindi at the signing ceremony in Sydney.Supplied
On Tuesday,Hindi,who was a Liberal councillor on Hurstville council from 2004 to 2018,told the inquiry he had attended a dinner with Badalati and the developers in Chinatown in March 2016.
The inquiry has heard that Yuqing Liu and Wensheng Liu signed an agreement at this dinner,Yuqing Liu agreeing to invest $50 million in the Treacy Street development and $80 million in the Landmark Square project.
But Hindi told the inquiry he went to the dinner because Badalati had told him Yuqing Liu – whose company in China is known as Tangshan Xinfeng Thermoelectric Group – also had an interest in waste-to-energy technology.
“[Liu] offered me the trip to China —[he said] ‘come and look at my factories,see what I’m doing,and look at the technology I’m using’.”
The inquiry heard Hindi travelled to China the following month with his wife,,Badalati and Wensheng Liu. Yuqing Liu and Wensheng Liu re-signed the same agreement at a ceremony in Tangshan on April 12. Badalati gave a speech at the event but Hindi did not attend.
Vince Badalati,applauding at rear left,at the Tangshan ceremony in China.Supplied
A week later,Hurstville council voted on the Treacy Street and Landmark Square plans at a meeting on April 20.
Commissioner Stephen Rushton said to Hindi that it was “curious” Yuqing Liu – “who I understand was a billionaire,maybe a multibillionaire” – would have invited him to inspect his waste-to-energy plant in China.
“Somebody – and I don’t want to offend you – with a bachelor of electrical engineering and a diploma in project management,and a qualified builder – what would they have to offer?”
Hindi,who previously told the inquiry he does “a lot of Google searches – my kids call me Mr Google”,replied he had “a lot to offer” and had been researching waste-to-energy technology.
“I’m not an expert,but I consider myself well versed in those sort of things,” Hindi said.
Rushton asked:“Through Google?”
The commissioner said it was “a remarkable coincidence” the councillors were at the events in Sydney and China where agreements were signed regarding proposed developments on which they would eventually have to vote.
“I did not know they were signing those agreements to do with my local government area,” Hindi said.
Pressed again to provide an explanation,Hindi replied:“I can’t give you an answer,Commissioner.”
In his evidence on Tuesday,Hindi also denied he had accepted money from Uy regarding the Treacy Street project.
Badalati previously gave evidence that Uy – whose company Gencorp was the builder for the Treacy Street development – handed him a shopping bag filled with $70,000 after they met for coffee in Kingsgrove in 2015.
Badalati said Hindi told him that he had also been paid by Uy.
In his evidence,Hindi said Badalati had never told him he received any money.
“[That] conversation never happened,” Hindi said.
The inquiry continues.
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