Wollongong developer Frank Vellar has been charged with four offences under the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Act.
More than two years have passed since theICAC released the third of its reports into corruption in Wollongong City Council. In October 2008, the commission recommended charges be laid against 11 people for 139 criminal offences. Most of those named were either ALP members or political donors. Vellar was among them.
At the time, ICAC commissioner Jerrold Cripps QC described the corruption found to be “without precedent”.
After the ICAC’s first report, the Wollongong council was sacked by then NSW local government minister Paul Lynch. Wollongong residents have been governed by ALP-appointed administrators ever since.
Vellar has been charged with fabricating a document with intent to mislead the ICAC, one count of making a false statement to an ICAC officer and two counts of misleading an ICAC officer. He is only the fifth person to face court over the corruption scandal.
In July, sacked Labor councillors Zeki Esen and Kiril Jonovsk were each found not guilty of two counts of giving false or misleading evidence to the ICAC and one count of furnishing false or misleading information. Frank Gigliotti, another sacked ALP councillor, was found guilty in July of two counts of giving false or misleading evidence to ICAC.
Developer Glen Tabak pleaded guilty to making a false statement to ICAC. He was fined $2500 and placed on a two-year good behaviour bond.
Six people named by the ICAC are yet to be charged.