Eddie Obeid and Co escape prosecution over water deal
Editorial
Updated ,first published
Updated ,first published
The NSW Director of Public Prosecutions has dropped charges of public misconduct against former Labor Minister Eddie Obeid; but the Independent Commission Against Corruption found his alleged role in the water deal to be corrupt.
Obeid’s trial in the District Court – his third – was due to begin on April 28, but the ODPP withdrew the charge this week.
Obeid, who has been the subject of controversy for decades and served two terms in prison after being convicted over his secret cafe rental and coal prospecting license at Circular Quay, is walking away and the people of NSW are unaware.
A spokesman for the Office of the Public Prosecutor said the reasons for the decision to drop the charge against Obeid were subject to legal privilege.
Obeid was accused of misconduct in public office in 2022, along with two other former Labor ministers, Joe Tripodi and Tony Kelly, over a business deal involving Australian Water Holdings and a lucrative public-private partnership with Sydney Water.
Charges against Tripodi and Kelly related to the AWH deal were dropped in December. Kelly was tried last October but was dismissed after the jury could not reach a verdict. Tripodi was supposed to stand trial on that charge last month but is now scheduled to stand trial on a separate charge of public misconduct in October.
ICAC recommended charges against the Labor trio following the Operation Credo investigation into the water deal.
That was nine years ago. It has been four years since Obeid, Tripodi and Kelly were first charged. Twelve years ago, Operation Credo had caused great damage to the other side of politics.
Liberal Barry O’Farrell resigned as NSW premier after admitting he inadvertently misled the ICAC about a $3000 bottle of Penfolds Grange from AWH; Deputy federal treasurer Arthur Sinodinos, who was previously AWH deputy chairman, temporarily stood aside and the NSW Liberal Party returned “tainted donations” worth about $75,000.
Last August, Obeid was released after serving three years in prison for granting a coal exploration license that netted his family $30 million in benefits. Sometime later in January reporter The NSW Crime Commission has frozen the property assets of Obeid Corporation Pty Ltd as the investigation found an Obeid family trust concealed a $30 million stake in the Bankstown development.
In NSW, the speed with which authorities took action resulted in three so-called heroes walking away with barely a scratch. Of course, their reputation was damaged; but given ICAC’s findings, it’s clear they never really cared much about public opinion anyway.
Court attempts at political corruption are complex, but the failure to put Obeid and Co. in the dock leaves many questions unanswered about what really happened all those years ago.
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EXPLANATION
This editorial has been updated to clarify that Barry O’Farrell’s behavior was unintentional.
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