Premier Barry O’Farrell has resigned after being caught out over his evidence to a corruption inquiry after a handwritten note was tendered in which he thanked the head of a company linked to the Obeid family for a $3000 bottle of Penfolds Grange Hermitage.
On Tuesday, the Independent Commission Against Corruption heard evidence that Mr O’Farrell was sent the wine by Nick Di Girolamo as a congratulatory gift following his March 2011 election victory.
Mr Di Girolamo, a Liberal Party fund-raiser and key player in the ICAC’s inquiry into Obeid-linked company Australian Water Holdings, told the inquiry yesterday he had the wine couriered to Mr O’Farrell’s home at Roseville and later received a thank-you call from him.
But under oath Mr O’Farrell denied ever receiving the wine or making the call. This was despite telephone records showing Mr O’Farrell called Mr Di Girolamo at 9.30pm on the day the wine was purchased.
In a statement today, Mr O’Farrell said: “I’ve been advised overnight that this morning at ICAC a thank-you note from me in relation to the bottle of wine will be presented.
The thank you from Barry O’Farrell, acknowledging the receipt of the bottle of wine.
“I still can’t recall the receipt of a gift of a bottle of 1959 Grange, I can’t explain what happened to that bottle of wine.
“But I do accept that there is a thank-you note signed by me and, as someone who believes in accountability, in responsibility, I accept the consequences of my action.
“The evidence I gave to the independent commission against corruption yesterday was evidence to the best of my knowledge.
“I believe it to be truthful and as I said yesterday it’s important that citizens deal with police, deal with the courts and deal with watchdogs like ICAC in a truthful fashion.
“In no way did I seek to mislead, wilfully or otherwise, the Independent Commission Against Corruption. But this has clearly been a significant memory fail on my part, albeit within weeks of coming to office, but I accept the consequences of my actions.
“And that is that, as soon as I can organise a meeting of the parliamentary Liberal Party for next week, I will be resigning the position and enabling a new Liberal leader to be elected, someone who will then become the Premier of NSW.”
Note tendered today: ICAC
The ICAC revealed that the note was tendered at the commission today and that Mr Di Girolamo was the source of the smoking gun.
An irate counsel assisting the ICAC, Geoffrey Watson, SC, defended ICAC against the suggestion that it was “sitting on” the thank-you card from O’Farrell.
“I just want to correct something. I’ve been informed while I’ve been sitting here that there is some suggestion being made that ICAC had access to that information relating to Mr O’Farrell, the card, and sat on it, held it back until Mr O’Farrell gave his evidence,” Mr Watson said.
“If it is being said, it’s false, it shouldn’t be said and quite frankly – and I think I probably speak on behalf of everybody at ICAC – I resent it if it is being said.
“I can tell whoever wants to know in the world ICAC acquired the information at 9.17am this morning.”
Di Girolamo said: “I would resent that too, commissioner.”
Commissioner Megan Latham said: “I can also verify that the email to ICAC came on to my desk at 9.20am this morning and that it was sent through partly I think from Mr Alexis [Mr Di Girolamo’s barrister, Todd Alexis, SC] to Mr Watson as I understand it at that time and prior to that time no one had any knowledge that that document even existed.”
Mr Watson said the commission’s investigators have already spoken to the courier driver who delivered the $3000 bottle of Grange to Mr O’Farrell’s then home at Roseville.
“This is not surprising – he has no independent recollection,” Mr Watson said.
But he tendered a three-page document from the courier company, Direct Couriers, which shows the wine was picked up from Australian Water’s offices at 3.38 pm on April 20, 2011 and delivered to Mr O’Farrell’s home at 4.31 pm.
It was “left as directed at the front of the door,” Mr Watson said.
Mr O’Farrell said the evidence at ICAC still had not jogged his memory about receiving the wine.
“I stand by the evidence I gave yesterday,” he said.
He said he had no memory of a phone call he made to Mr Di Girolamo about 9.30pm on April 20, 2011 – the day the Grange was delivered to his then home at Roseville.