ICAC inquiry hears $134,000 spy bill paid by developer Toplace

A $134,000 surveillance bill has come under scrutiny as the ICAC inquiry into allegations of corruption and political influence draws to a close. Developer Toplace paid the private investigator to surveil former Strathfield mayor Matthew Blackmore.

Sharangan Maheswaran, Toplace lawyer and Strathfield councillor, returned to the ICAC witness box on Tuesday for the final day of hearings. He told the inquiry he persuaded his employer to subsidise the cost, citing "tangential" links to the developer and outstanding debts owed to him by another firm linked to Toplace founder Jean Nassif.

The ICAC heard that private investigator Shane De Kauwe provided Mr Maheswaran with covert surveillance devices, including a recording pen. Text messages tendered to the inquiry revealed Mr Maheswaran joking with fellow councillor Karen Pensabene about the surveillance, referencing Sting's song Every Breath You Take.

"The next line of that song, as we all know, is 'I'll be watching you'," counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC said.

The private investigator spent months secretly monitoring Mr Blackmore in 2022 and 2023, including photographing him and recording conversations at a local cafe. In one exchange, Mr De Kauwe told Mr Maheswaran he followed Mr Blackmore to Strathfield council library and "was listening for 20 hours plus… I must have fallen asleep for a time".

Mr Maheswaran denied he was provided with every recording and told the ICAC he sought legal advice on the surveillance.

The inquiry has examined allegations that prohibited political donations were funnelled through third parties to support a right-wing Liberal faction known as the NSW Reformers and advance the interests of Mr Nassif.