Fugitive took bundles of cash at fast-food restaurant, inquiry told
Emails, text messages and spreadsheets in 2013 shown to the inquiry reveal that Complete Linemarking director Peco 'Peter' Jankulovski and Ibrahim Helmy, who was at that time an employee of Roads and Maritime Services (RMS), arranged to meet on numerous occasions at an Oporto restaurant and the company's premises, where cash would be handed over.
In one exchange via text message in August 2013, Helmy asked Jankulovski if there were many people at his company's premises.
Jankulovski confirmed to the inquiry on Thursday that Helmy was expressing a reluctance to meet there too often because it was where cash was handed over. Some of the withdrawals of cash for Helmy were made from the personal bank accounts of Jankulovski and his wife.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating allegations Helmy was the mastermind behind corrupt relationships with companies, including Complete Linemarking, that were paid at least $343 million in contracts by Transport for NSW. Helmy, 38, failed to appear before the ICAC in May and police have a warrant out for his arrest.
Helmy is alleged to have pocketed $11.5 million in kickbacks – including bundles of cash, gold bullion and cryptocurrency – over a 15-year period from contractors in return for them being awarded work on roads.
The inquiry heard that as part of Complete Linemarking's arrangement with Helmy, which began in 2012, Jankulovski would send the then-RMS employee a breakdown of his company's costings.
Helmy would respond by sending back revised figures to Jankulovski with instructions to invoice them to the roads agency. Another method was to falsely increase the quantities of materials, rather than inflating the cost of the work.
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