Latest news with #IbrahimHelmy
ABC News
6 days ago
- ABC News
Tearful ICAC witness recalls 'very improper' meeting with transport official
A traffic controller has told the state's corruption commission that he went behind his "wife's back" to pay kickbacks to a Transport for NSW (TfNSW) official, in order to win lucrative roadwork contracts. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is investigating allegations that Ibrahim Helmy, who worked for TfNSW for 15 years, received $11.5 million in payments for helping contractors secure roadwork jobs, often at inflated prices. Mr Helmy failed to appear at ICAC earlier this month and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. On Thursday, operations manager at Direct Traffic Pty Ltd, Adam Spilsted, became emotional, telling the commission he would pass cash to Mr Helmy "under the table" at a Merrylands restaurant to help secure contracts for the business. "I was scared of not getting any work," he said "Working for a government agency such as Transport for NSW is a privilege," he said, choking back tears. "I've done the wrong thing ... It's something I should have … reported." Mr Spilsted told the hearing that Mr Helmy initially offered to help him win state government contracts because he knew Mr Spilsted's father. The ICAC earlier heard that about $48 million in contracts had been awarded by TfNSW to Direct Traffic Pty Ltd between 2018 and 2025. Mr Spilsted said Mr Helmy gave him tender evaluation criteria, as well as confidential information on other companies' bids. However, during one of their meetings at Merrylands library in 2018, Mr Helmy allegedly asked for money. "In order for me to give you this work, I would expect some type of payment," Mr Helmy allegedly said. Counsel Assisting, Rob Rob Ranken SC, asked Mr Spilsted whether he understood the gravity of that request. "Did you appreciate that what he was proposing was improper?" Mr Ranken asked. Adam Spilsted said he later told his wife, Mechelina Van Der Ende-Plakke, who is a director of Direct Traffic Pty Ltd, that Mr Helmy had asked for money. "She didn't want to give him any money whatsoever," he told the hearing. According to Mr Spilsted, Mr Helmy threatened to stop helping him win contracts unless he got paid. "So, what I did was went behind my wife's back," he told the commission. Mr Spilsted said he initially paid Mr Helmy using gift cards, but was soon told "the gift cards aren't cutting it". He later made several large cash withdrawals and handed them to Mr Helmy both in his car and "under the table" at an Egyptian restaurant in Merrylands. However, as the relationship continued and more contracts were awarded to the business, Mr Spilsted said the transport official wanted more money. "Every time that I'd see him, he'd ask for money all the time," he said. Mr Spilsted told the hearing that Mr Helmy ultimately asked him to pay about $600,000. He said that when his wife found out about that demand, she threatened to "dob" Mr Helmy in to TfNSW. Mr Spilsted said he warned her against going to authorities, saying they would both get into a "lot of trouble" because "we'd already paid him". The hearing was then played a phone conversation allegedly between Ms Van Der Ende-Plakke and Mr Helmy, recorded by Mr Spilsted. In the recording, she told Mr Helmy she was "shocked". "If we would go ahead with this [and] it would ever come out, it would not be good," she said. She told Mr Helmy she only wanted her company to win contracts based on merit. The man — allegedly Mr Helmy — responded by trying to reassure her. "I don't see it as badly as you're seeing it," he said. However, he later conceded "it is not 100 per cent legal". The hearing continues.
News.com.au
18-07-2025
- News.com.au
Offensive comments made by allegedly corrupt ex-Transport for NSW employee
An allegedly corrupt ex-Transport for NSW employee made disparaging remarks likening government agencies to people with a disability as he discussed how he signed off on alleged dodgy payments, an inquiry has heard. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is holding a public inquiry into the dealings of Ibrahim Helmy, who is accused of pocketing $11.5 million from via roadworks contractors over a decade. A contractor told the Operation Wyvern inquiry on Friday that Mr Helmy labelled the NSW government and Roads and Maritime Services as 'clueless', referring to the bodies as 'like dealing with a Down syndrome kid'. These comments were brought to light by Complete Linemarking director Saso Gorgovski, who was summoned to the stand on Friday and represented one of the companies with whom Mr Helmy is suspected to have had corrupt relationships. Mr Gorgovski's company was awarded $12 million in respect of work between around December 2012 to May 2025. It is alleged Mr Helmy was heard by Mr Gorgovski saying words to the effect of 'I can get it through or I can do something to get it through' when referring to payment claims. 'He said, not word for word, that if some sort of payment could come through, I could get it signed off,' Mr Gorgovski told the commission. 'I'm guessing a cash payment, or a percentage, or some sort of payment personally to him.' He labelled the alleged corrupt dealings as 'greed' and affirmed he never wanted anything to do with it. Mr Helmy, whose whereabouts are unknown, is at the centre of the commission that alleges a 'staggering' $343 million of taxpayer-funded contracts were awarded to businesses that he is suspected to have had corrupt relationships with.A warrant was put out for his arrest after he failed to attend an ICAC summons in May.
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Family of Australia's missing '$11.5MILLION man' Ibrahim Helmy - who disappeared 'with taxpayer cash' after putting the bins out - drop a bombshell about his whereabouts... and the bizarre thing they're most concerned about
The family of a state government official who pocketed $11million and then vanished after 'putting the bins out' one Sunday has broken their silence about his whereabouts and slammed the police for breaking down their front door. Ibrahim Helmy, 38 - the alleged mastermind of a $343million corruption scheme involving rigged Transport for NSW contracts - has been missing since May. NSW Police on Monday issued an outstanding arrest warrant for Helmy after he failed to appear before an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry, saying he is believed to be on the run. When Daily Mail Australia asked Ibrahim's father Moustafa Helmy at his Merrylands home if he knew where his son was, the fugitive's dad said he was not concerned for his son's welfare and was confident 'he is safe'. 'My son is a good man, what they are saying they have to prove. He is an engineer and he is a good person. The gold bullion? My daughter believes it is a good investment, better than banks,' he said. 'They took it, along with my son's Maserati when they came here and broke down my door. There were 30 of them. They were crazy. 'Why didn't they just knock instead of breaking the door in the night when we were sleeping?' Mr Helmy was referring to the raid by ICAC and the NSW Crime Commission on his Merrylands home last September, when officers seized gold, platinum and silver bars, gold nuggets, bundles of cash totalling $12,317, and a Maserati. The Crime Commission further seized $8million in cryptocurrency held in a Binance account by Mr Helmy's daughter, and $413,000 in cryptocurrency held by Ibrahim Helmy. Helmy is alleged to have received $11.5million in kickbacks – including bundles of cash, gold bullion and cryptocurrency – from contractors in return for them being awarded work on the state's roads. Helmy, a civil engineer who worked for Transport for NSW for 15 years, was suspended from his job at the time of the raid, and sacked in February. ICAC alleged that Helmy arranged for four colleagues to ensure businesses he had corrupt relationships with would be awarded contract work valued from $12million to $99million. His father Moustafa told the Mail he was 'not sure how long it is since (Ibrahim) left, but I haven't seen him'. But he stressed that he believed his son had been 'good at his job'. He said both his children, Ibrahim and his daughter were qualified civil engineers and that he himself was a retired electrical engineer and that his whole family 'have nothing to hide'. Mr Helmy, whose modest 2009 Holden Barina was parked outside the family home, said the raid on his house last year when he, his wife and Ibrahim were in bed had 'scared us'. He said he wasn't sure of the value of the family's items that had been seized in the raid, but that it was 'all legitimate' and nothing had been returned to them. Computers and storage devices were seized along with a US passport from the Merrylands home, before Ibrahim Helmy was bailed on strict conditions. Ibrahim's younger brother, Mohamed Helmy, is alleged to have profited from the scheme being investigated by ICAC's Operation Wyvern presided over by ICAC Chief Commissioner John Hatzistergos. The fourth public inquiry into Transport for NSW since 2019, it has been investigating allegations of corrupt conduct in the arm responsible for building and maintaining the state's road network. Ibrahim Helmy had worked at Transport for NSW in different roles. He is known to frequent the Merrylands and Guildford areas in Sydney 's west. He is described as being Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, 175cm tall, medium build and has black hair. Ibrahim Helmy frequents Merrylands and Guildford in Sydney's west and is of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, 175cm tall, with black hair. Pictured, right, some of the cash seized 'Anyone who sees him is urged not to approach him but to call triple zero,' a police statement read. Helmy's Australian passport was detected at Sydney Airport awaiting a flight to China after the Merrylands raid, in September 2024, and he failed to board the flight. He allegedly made unsuccessful attempts to flee overseas after becoming aware that he was the central figure of an ICAC investigation. 'We believe he remains in the jurisdiction and that individuals have been collaborating to conceal his whereabouts. Active steps are being taken to locate him,' senior barrister assisting the ICAC Rob Ranken SC told the inquiry on Monday. 'We suspect it is only a matter of time before he is located and we urge him to come forward of his own volition.'
News.com.au
14-07-2025
- News.com.au
Former Transport for NSW employee accused of ‘staggering' corruption now on the run
A former Transport for NSW (TfNSW) employee who is accused of pocketing about $11.5 million from allegedly corrupt dealings with roadworks contractors is on the run. Ibrahim Helmy is at the centre of an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry that alleges a 'staggering' $343 million of taxpayer-funded contracts were awarded to businesses that he is suspected to have had corrupt relationships with. After he failed to attend an ICAC summons in May, NSW Police issued a warrant for Mr Helmy's arrest. A family member told the Commission he 'took the rubbish out on a Sunday night and did not return', and counsel assisting Rob Ranken, SC, told the inquiry, 'we believe he remains in the jurisdiction and that individuals have been collaborating to conceal his whereabouts.' His family has not reported him missing. It is alleged that between 2012 to 2024, Mr Helmy masterminded a web of corruption involving at least four other TfNSW employees that saw a number of businesses awarded lucrative contracts in return for kickbacks which came in the form of gold bullion nuggets, cryptocurrency, gift cards and other valuables. Invoices for the contracts, which were worth between $12 million to $99 million, were allegedly 'falsely inflated' and according to one of the business owners, the excess was split 50/50 between the business and Mr Helmy. Mr Ranken said there is evidence suggesting that on one occasion Mr Helmy helped a business prepare a tender submission and provided 'confidential documents prepared by other contractors to assist with the preparation' of their submission. It is also alleged that Mr Helmy stacked tender evaluation committees 'in a way that allowed him to manipulate the committee's recommendations'. The inquiry heard that one of the businesses involved, Protection Barriers, had received 'very little' work from TfNSW prior to mid 2020 when Mr Helmy is alleged to have begun a corrupt relationship with them. Protection Barriers founder Jason Chellew told the inquiry on Monday he was contacted by Mr Helmy and that he 'proposed, giving us jobs, for yeah, kickbacks.' 'The problem we had at that sort of time, we were worried that if we said 'no', we would have got nothing,' Mr Chellew said, referring to a fear that rejecting Mr Helmy's offer would result in the business being passed up by TfNSW for lucrative contracts in future. 'I didn't really want to do it but that was what we did at the time,' he said. Between 2020 and 2024, Protection Barriers was awarded approximately $99 million worth of contracts and it is alleged that Mr Helmy received about $9m in kickbacks from the business, most of which was paid in cryptocurrency. A police search of Mr Helmy's premises in September last year seized 12 bars of silver weighing 1kg each, three platinum bars weighing 1 ounce each, 20 gold bullion nuggets and five gold bullion bars each weighing 1 ounce, nine 100 gram gold bullion bars and $12,317 in cash. The Crime Commission also found the equivalent of about $8 million in cryptocurrency stored in the account of an associate of Mr Helmy, the inquiry heard. Mr Helmy and Mr Chellew have not been charged with any criminal offence. This is the fourth public inquiry into TfNSW since 2019 and in his opening statement, Mr Ranken said: 'In each of the previous investigations, (other) TfNSW officials were found to have manipulated procurements and/or contract management processes for corrupt benefit. We expect the evidence is likely to establish that also to be the case in this investigation.'
ABC News
14-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Whereabouts unknown of Ibrahim Helmy at the centre of ICAC inquiry into transport kickbacks
The alleged mastermind accused of rigging the awarding of $343 million in transport contracts is not expected to testify at a corruption inquiry as authorities don't know his whereabouts. At a hearing in Sydney on Monday, Counsel assisting the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), Rob Ranken, outlined allegations former Transport for NSW (TfNSW) employee Ibrahim Helmy received more than $11.5 million in corrupt rewards and benefits, including cryptocurrency, gold and cash payments. Mr Helmy arranged for four colleagues to ensure businesses he had corrupt relationships with would be awarded contract work valued from $12 million to $99 million, Mr Rankin alleged. Operation Wyvern — the fourth public inquiry into TfNSW since 2019 — has been investigating allegations of corrupt conduct since February last year in the arm responsible for building and maintaining the road network, Mr Ranken said. "In each of the previous investigations, [different] TfNSW officials were found to have manipulated procurements and/or contract management processes for corrupt benefit," he said in his opening statement. "We expect the evidence is likely to establish that also to be the case in this investigation." The corruption watchdog's investigation centres on Mr Helmy, who worked at TfNSW in different roles for 15 years until his employment was terminated in February, but encompasses a network of almost two dozen people. The ICAC has heard Mr Helmy allegedly took a series of corrupt actions to rig the process in which $343,139,770 in work contracts was awarded for roadworks from 2012 to 2025, so that businesses he allegedly had private dealings with would secure work. In exchange, Mr Ranken said the 38-year-old from Merrylands would be paid large sums of cash, cryptocurrency, gold and other valuables worth $11.5 million — some of it allegedly "cleaned" in bank accounts belonging to a friend. The inquiry heard the corruption allegations against Mr Helmy include stacking the panels responsible for awarding contracts for roadworks with people who would help the at least nine businesses that would allegedly pay him kickbacks. He also allegedly helped some of these businesses write their tenders, shared their competitors pricing with them and adjusted the rates in their competitor's submissions. He is also accused of helping the contractors he partnered with inflate their rates to make the scheme more lucrative, for both himself and the contractors. The ICAC said Mr Helmy targeted smaller businesses and allegedly courted their participation. Under the arrangement, counsel assisting said one business was awarded $99 million in work from April 2020 to September 2024. The ICAC also said Mr Helmy's alleged corrupt conduct helped secure work contracts for eight other companies between 2012 and this year. Mr Ranken said directors of some of the companies allegedly involved are expected to give evidence at the hearing. Authorities do not know the exact whereabouts of Mr Helmy, but believe he is still in the state. He was interviewed by the ICAC in September, but his compulsory examination was only part-heard. The inquiry heard that on December 22 last year, the ICAC was alerted he was at Sydney International Airport trying to depart to Shanghai on a US passport in his name, as his Australian passport was at the time held by the ICAC. "A family member has told the commission that Mr Helmy took the rubbish out on a Sunday night and did not return," Mr Ranken told the hearing. "The family has not reported him missing." NSW Police have issued a warrant for Mr Helmy's arrest after allegedly failing to appear before ICAC. Mr Ranken said ICAC officers, working with NSW Crime Commission and NSW Police, searched a number of properties on September 10, 2024. From Mr Helmy's properties, they allegedly seized $12,317 in cash, three red bags containing 20 gold bullion nuggets of 1 ounce, 12 bars of silver each weighing 1 kilogram, three 1 ounce platinum bars, five 1 ounce gold bullion bars and nine 100 gram gold bullion bars. The inquiry heard the Crime Commission also seized $413,000 worth of cryptocurrency held by Mr Helmy and $8 million in cryptocurrency from an account in an associate's name. Counsel assisting told the inquiry four other employees of Transport for NSW allegedly helped Mr Helmy award contracts to businesses with which he had dealings. All four colleagues allegedly received a financial benefit for helping Mr Helmy. At times, Counsel Assisting Mr Ranken had to refer to a chart to help explain the alleged corruption. "It is anticipated evidence will show that TfNSW failed to recognise red flags for corrupt conduct," he told the hearing. "This included an inadequate response to a report from a TfNSW employee alleging improper influence by Mr Helmy, which meant his scheme was not uncovered at that time. "It is of notable concern that the referral to the Commission which ultimately led to this investigation was received from a party external to TfNSW." The hearings are expected to continue for several weeks. No criminal charges have been laid in connection with the matters under investigation.
