UPDATE 12.30pm:
Upper House MP Marie Ficarra was accused today of blaming others over an illegal donation to the Liberal Party because she realised she had been ‘‘caught in a lie’’ and acted to ‘‘save your own skin’’.
A series of quick-fire propositions were put to the Sutherland Shire Liberal and former MP for Georges River by counsel assisting the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Geoffrey Watson SC.
She denied each one.
Mr Watson was ending his examination of Ms Ficarra over the ‘‘slush fund’’ known as Eightbyfive.
Their exchange ended with her saying, ‘‘the truth prevails’’.
Mr Watson replied: ‘‘Yes, I certainly hope so.’’
The exchange began with Mr Watson saying: ‘‘You see, Ms Ficarra, you knew all about Eightbyfive, didn’t you?’’
Answer: Absolutely not.
Question: You told [developer] Tony Merhi about Eightbyfive, didn’t you?
Answer : Absolutely not.
Q: You directed Tony Merhi to put his money into Eightbyfive, didn’t you?
A: Absolutely not.
Q: You directed Tony Merhi to put his money into Eightbyfive because you knew that it was a means of collecting money from otherwise prohibited donors?
A: Absolutely not.
Q: You did that for the benefit of the Liberal Party, didn’t you?
A: Absolutely not.
Q: You knew it was a scam when you did it?
A: Absolutely not.
Q: You knew that Eightbyfive had emerged from the office of [former Energy Minister] Chris Hartcher?
A: Absolutely not.
Q: You knew the whole scam, or scheme, involving Eightbyfive was hatched in Chris Hartcher’s office?
A: Absolutely not.
Q: Yesterday, Ms Ficarra, you recognised you were caught in a lie, didn’t you?
A: No I didn’t.
Q: You realised there was a substantial difference in evidence between you and Tony Merhi didn’t you?
A: I didn’t because I didn’t listen to his evidence.
Q: You instructed your lawyers to call him the liar?
A: I didn’t give him instructions.
Q: What’s more, recognising you had been caught in a lie, you decided to try and drag down [then Young Liberals vice-president] Charles Perrottet?
A: Absolutely not, Charles Perrottet ... had a key to my office, we had a very close working relationship.
Q: Yesterday you decided to drag Charles Perrottet’s name down into the mud, didn’t you?
A: No, I didn’t. I told the truth and I am telling the truth.
Q: [You were] motivated to save your own skin, didn’t you?
A: Absolutely not, the truth prevails.
Mr Watson: Yes, I certainly hope so.
The inquiry continues.
Earlier coverage Friday:
A property developer told a corruption inquiry today that upper house MP Marie Ficarra advised him days before the last election he needed a lobbyist to help him advance seven Part 3A applications valued at $1.1 billion.
Tony Merhi said Ms Ficarra, a former MP for Georges River and a Cronulla resident, had ‘‘highly recommended’’ EightByFive which the inquiry has been told was a ‘‘slush fund’’ for the Liberal Party's election campaign.
Mr Merhi said he later received a call from a person who said he represented EightByFive, asking for a $5000 deposit.
The developer said he transferred the $5000 but had received nothing in return.
A week after the election, Part 3A had been scrapped by the new government and all of his projects were ‘‘gone’’ because they were not far enough advanced to be included in transitional arrangements.
Ms Ficarra gave a different version of events when she took the witness stand at the independent commission against corruption hearing.
She said Mr Merhi wanted to support the Liberal Party in the election but she told him, and he also knew, that he could not do it because he was a prohibited donor.
Ms Ficarra said she told him he could have a friend make a donation to a Young Liberals flying squad (campaign team).
Ms Ficarra said she had chosen to meet him at a cafe at West Pennant Hills because it was in a state forest and included a nursery where she wanted to buy plants.
Explaining her movements that day, which were contrary to what she previously told ICAC, Ms Ficarra went into details about how her dog was ill and she had to take him to a Sylvania vet.
Tempers became frayed when counsel assisting the commission, Geoffrey Watson SC, put it to Ms Ficarra she was ‘‘lying’’ and ‘‘making it up as you go along’’.
‘‘Absolutely not,’’ she replied.
Ms Ficarra will return to the witness box on Friday.
See more coverage here later today and at smh.com.au:
