UPDATE
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Former state MP Marie Ficarra is “thankful” her involvement with the Independent Commission Against Corruption is over.
The commission, in its report on political donations, made no findings against Ms Ficarra, a former MP for Georges River, mayor of Hurstville, who now lives at Cronulla.
Ms Ficarra read the report online while visiting the Eolian Islands, from where her family migrated to Australia.
“I am thankful with theiir fair assessment that no findings could be made against me,” she told the Leader.
Ms Ficarra said she had asked the ICAC to check her text messages from the day she met a developer who subsequently made a $5000 to the Liberal Party.
“My mobile phone record collaborated my account of the day,” she said.
Ms Ficarra said she had also asked that a witness be recalled for cross-examination because “I knew he was not telling the truth”.
The ICAC had stated they would do so, but then reneged, she claimed.
“Anyway I am grateful that they have finally left me alone,” she said.
Ms Ficarra said, since the ICAC hearings, she had devoted herself to working voluntarily for the Australian Gynaecological Cancer Foundation
EARLIER
The Independent Commission Against Corruption has made no findings against former Georges River MP and Hurstville mayor Marie Ficarra over a $5000 donation to the Liberal Party.
Adverse findings against numerous politicians and others were made in the commission’s Operation Spicer report on political fund-raising, released today.
The inquiry exposed widespread prohibited donations, fund channeling and non-disclosures in the NSW Liberal Party’s 2011 state election campaign.
Ms Ficarra, who now lives at Cronulla, was questioned by the inquiry in 2014 about a meeting she had with developer Tony Merhi before the 2011 election.
At the time, she was a Liberal member of the Legislative Council.
Ms Ficarra denied soliciting from Mr Merhi a $5000 donation to a Liberal Party ‘‘slush fund” Eightbyfive, run out of the office of Chris Hartcher, who later became the Energy Minister.
The ICAC said in its report it was “left with irreconcilable accounts” as to what transpired between Ms Ficarra and Mr Merhi.
“What actually happened on 17 March 2011 remains unclear,” the report said.
“In these circumstances, the commission is not able to make any findings as to what was said...or the purpose of the $5000 payment.”
Ms Ficarra was Mayor of Hurstville in 1990-91, MP for Georges River (since renamed Oatley) from 1995-1999 and a member of the Legislative Council from 2007-2015.
The ICAC’s recommendations included that advice should be obtained from the Director of Public Prosecutions with respect to prosecuting Chris Hartcher for an offence of larceny and former Labor minister Joe Tripodi for misconduct in public office.
The report said many former Liberal MPs, including former police minister Mike Gallacher and Mr Hartcher ”acted with the intention of evading laws” under the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act.