AHA boss Paul Nicolaou resigns post just days before he is expected to give evidence to ICAC AHA boss Paul Nicolaou resigns post just days before he is expected to give evidence to ICAC
AUSTRALIAN Hotels Association boss and former Liberal Party chief fundraiser Paul Nicolaou has resigned his AHA post days before he is expected to give evidence at ICAC over alleged illegal donations.
Mr Nicolaou is accused of being involved as head of the Millenium Forum — the Liberal Party’s fundraising arm — in a scam in which prohibited developer donations were sent to the Free Enterprise Foundation and then sent back to the Liberal Party.
But less than an hour before his resignation was made public yesterday, Paul Nicolaou was paraded as one of the ambassadors of a new initiative that offers mentoring and online advice to business start-ups.
At the launch of the Start Up Australia “movement” in the Sydney CBD yesterday, where the Federal Minister for Small Business Bruce Billson gave the keynote address, Mr Nicolaou offered no hints he was planning his next career move as he looked on.
Start Up Australia founder Miriam Feller expressed her surprise afterwards that the man she honoured at the event had resigned from the AHA.
Asked if Mr Nicolaou was still an ambassador of the initiative, Ms Feller said: “I don’t know. I didn’t see the news. We’ll give him a call and find out.’’
ICAC heard Mr Nicolaou had explained to Simon McInnes, the man who until April was Acting State Director of the NSW Liberal Party, how the Free Enterprise Foundation racket worked.
“That included sending donations — including donations from prohibited donors — to the Free Enterprise Foundation, and then requesting that they be re-donated straight back to the NSW Liberal Party,” Counsel Assisting Geoffrey Watson said in April.
ICAC has heard Mr Nicolaou had admitted his role in the alleged scam.
He had gone on indefinite leave from his AHA post after appearing at the earlier Operation Credo into allegations around Australian Water Holdings’ dealings with government and its chief executive Nick Di Girolamo.
That inquiry brought down former Premier Barry O’Farrell, who gave false evidence concerning a $3000 bottle of wine he received from Mr Di Girolamo while Mr Di Girolamo was lobbying him for a lucrative government contract.
During Operation Credo it emerged that Mr Di Girolamo had engaged Mr Nicolaou on a retainer of $5000 a month for several years, but Mr Nicolaou had not declared himself on the lobbyist register.
The AHA is expected to appoint the man who has been acting in Mr Nicolaou’s place, former Labor government staffer John Whelan, the son of former Labor minister Paul, as its new CEO.
Mr nicolaou said his decision to leave the aha was about letting the organisation move on ahead of next years state election with icac not due to report until December.
He described the circumstances of his departure as “amicable”
Mr Nicolaou said he had done “nothing. Corrupt”.
Source: The Daily Telegraph - 31st July 2014
