The Australian reporting on todays court proceedings "INVESTOR...

The Australian reporting on todays court proceedings



"INVESTOR Richard Poole was repeatedly accused of lying to the NSW corruption body when he denied knowing the Obeid family was behind a complex coal deal.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption saw some heated exchanges between Mr Poole and the counsel assisting the inquiry Geoffrey Watson SC.

When asked about an email from a colleague involved in a deal mentioning a person called 'Mo', Mr Poole said he did not know at the time who 'Mo' was.

The person in question was one of the people critically involved in the development of the deal, former Labor MP Eddie Obeid's son Moses.

Mr Watson was incredulous that Mr Poole had not at the time asked his colleague who the 'Mo' in question was.

"It wasn't a reference to a moustache," Mr Watson said.

The ICAC is investigating whether the granting of a mining exploration license in 2008 to start-up company Cascade Coal was improperly influenced by Eddie Obeid, using his connection with disgraced former Labor Resources Minister Ian Macdonald.








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ICAC has heard that as well as owning land at Mt Penny, which quadrupled in value to $17 million after the license was granted, Mr Obeid negotiated a $60 million payment from Cascade Coal, via a $2 shelf company.

Mr Watson also accused Mr Poole of deliberately trying to obscure the involvement of the Obeids when he changed a draft of a Cascade Coal information memorandum.

He noted that a draft presented to him by an employee James McGuigan had been altered by Mr Poole in an apparent bid not to draw links to the Obeids.

The company the Obeids had an interest in was Buffalo Resources.

Mr McGuigan had written an email to Mr Poole stating: "I think we have to disclose who Buffalo is."

Mr Watson put to Mr Poole: "You knew it was the Obeids, you knew what the sensitivity was, didn't you?"

Mr Poole continued to insist that the time he had not known who was behind Buffalo Resources, saying: "I had no discussions with these people."

Earlier in the morning, when it was again put to Mr Poole that he had much earlier knowledge of the Obeids involvement than he was making out, Mr Watson put to Mr Poole: "You're a liar, aren't you", to which Mr Poole replied: "No".

The inquiry continues before Commissioner David Ipp"


How thick is dicks hide ? no doubt more to unravel,