Former rugby league player Craig Izzard has been found corrupt by the Independent Commission Against Corruption for agreeing to accept bribes in exchange for not investigating unlawful asbestos dumping during his employment as an anti-dumping investigator.
Mr Izzard, a former investigator with the Western Sydney Regional Illegal Dumping Squad (RIDS), was found to have engaged in "serious corrupt conduct" by the commission on Tuesday. The matter has now been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions for the consideration of criminal charges.
As part of its finding, the ICAC has recommended the NSW government considers enacting a specific and serious standalone offence for the disposal of asbestos waste, as well as the establishment of a single entity to oversee asbestos waste.
The corruption findings come 10 months after Mr Izzard fronted a public inquiry before ICAC, held over nine days in August and September, where he faced allegations he had solicited bribes from people in exchange for not investigating their illegal dumping activity at four properties in western Sydney.
From 2010 until he was sacked in March 2016, Mr Izzard was employed by the Western Sydney RIDS, which investigated illegal dumping on behalf of seven Western Sydney councils, where he was allocated responsibility for the Liverpool council area.
The ICAC ultimately found Mr Izzard, a former rugby league player for the Penrith Panthers and Parramatta Eels, had acted corruptly in relation to two of the properties – one in Rossmore and one in Vineyard. On the two other properties, the ICAC found there was insufficient evidence to show Mr Izzard had solicited or received payments.
Both corruption matters involved Mr Izzard agreeing to receive corrupt payments from his contact Nosir Kabite, who had some interest in the relevant properties and contacts in the excavation and landfill industry.
The Commission found Mr Izzard agreed in 2015 to receive a bribe of $10,000, to be paid through Mr Kabite, from Ibrahim Beydoun in connection with a property 30 Bellfield Avenue, Rossmore.
In return, Mr Izzard would intimidate the tenant into leaving the Rossmore property so that Mr Beydoun could relocate his skip bin business there. Mr Izzard would then assist Mr Beydoun in avoiding detection for the illegal operation of his business, while assisting him with a development application for the business.
In a separate finding of corrupt conduct, Mr Izzard was paid cash bribes from Mr Kabite, as well as two mobile phones, firewood and free removal of rubbish, in exchange for not investigating Mr Kabite's illegal waste disposal activities at Bandon Road, Vineyard.
Both Mr Kabite and Mr Beydoun were also found to have acted corruptly and were referred to the DPP for potential criminal prosecution.
The ICAC handed down 15 recommendations as part of the investigation into Mr Izzard. As well as recommending the creation of standalone offence for asbestos dumping, it recommended a slew of measures to tighten the operation of the RIDS, including restructuring the management of the squad.
