The inquiry last year heard Tsirekas,a former state and federal Labor candidate who has been a local councillor for 25 years,took trips to China with his long-time friend,businessman Joseph Chidiac,and representatives of collapsed property group iProsperity,which funded some of his expenses.
Those trips coincided with iProsperity’s attempts to gain approval for a residential tower,initially of 46 storeys,comprising hundreds of apartments at Rhodes,which Tsirekas had supported at council.
The web of interactions between Tsirekas,Chidiac and iProsperity has been laid bare in the ICAC’s final report,which recommended Tsirekas be swiftly removed from his position on the council.
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The ICAC found Tsirekas engaged in serious corrupt conduct by seeking or accepting benefits,such as flights and accommodation,to the tune of $18,000 from iProsperity and Chidiac between late 2015 and early 2019. It also found three individuals linked to the developer donated $10,000 each to his failed political campaign for the seat of Reid in the 2016 federal election.
Tsirekas also engaged in serious corrupt conduct by deliberately failing to disclose a conflict of interest regarding his relationships with Chidiac and iProsperity,which lodged several versions of plans to develop the Rhodes site,the watchdog found.
The report recommended seeking advice about whether Tsirekas should be prosecuted for alleged misconduct in public office,and for providing false or misleading evidence to the commission.