‘Work, life not fair’: Sacked transport official’s WhatsApp messages reveal motivation

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The Independent Commission Against Corruption has expanded its probe into allegedly corrupt procurement practices at Transport for NSW, announcing that a public inquiry that was meant to finish on Friday will instead be extended to investigate other procurement practices at the agency stretching back more than a decade.

For more than 50 days, the ICAC has been holding a public inquiry into procurement processes at the agency since 2019, and for 19 days it has grilled Ibrahim Helmy, a former Transport official accused of being the mastermind behind corrupt relationships with nine contractors, in which he allegedly pocketed $11.5 million in kickbacks.

Ibrahim Helmy and his lawyer leave the ICAC premises on Friday.

But on Friday, Chief Commissioner John Hatzistergos announced the anti-corruption body had expanded the scope of its investigation to also investigate Transport staff and others who may have engaged in conduct that “impaired, or could have impaired public confidence in public administration by dishonestly benefiting from the payment or application of public funds for private advantage,” as far back as 2014.

The extension of the inquiry came as Helmy admitted he had lied to the commission, and was presented with a series of WhatsApp messages he had sent to a young woman he knew from the online game League of Legends which showed Helmy discussing his realisation that “things at work and life are not fair” and that he had to “take [his] right some other ways”.

ICAC counsel assisting Rob Ranken, SC, said Helmy had lied at least nine times during a compulsory examination with the commission last year.

In Helmy’s earlier examination, the sacked Transport official said he had not received cash from any other contractor for the agency.

“That was not correct,” Ranken said.

“Yes,” Helmy replied.

Ranken: “You knew it was not correct when you made it.”

Helmy: “I think so.”

Ranken: “It was a lie.”

Helmy: “Sure.”

Lying to the ICAC is an offence, punishable by up to six months imprisonment or a fine of $2000.

Messages to gamer friend reveal realisation

In his final moments of questioning Helmy, Ranken asked the 38-year-old about a series of messages he had sent to an online acquaintance he had met on the online game League of Legends, which Ranken suggested “led to [Helmy] embarking upon those corrupt arrangements”.

“I realised that things at work and life are not fair and instead of being angry over it, I’m gonna take my right some other ways,” he wrote in 2019.

“Like no one is gonna fight for you. I like things to be fair but no one actually is fair! That’s why I wana [sic] help you. They just talk about being fair but no action.

“And even now, so many old dumb people do nothing alll [sic] day. Some guy just comes to work and plays some card games on his iPad. Then plays words with friends then watches YouTube.

“And the boss thinks that he’s the most knowledgeable guy in the whole world! They’re both dumber than each other lol. No one likes working with dumb people, but when you are, you have to take advantage of it and make it in your favour.

“Okay I wrote too much hahahah. That’s just a lil [sic] of what I have to say. I’m sure it doesn’t justify it though lol.”

Ranken said: “These are communications you’re having with a member of the public, someone you’d never met in person, and you didn’t seem at all [concerned about talking about] what I suggest to you is serious corrupt conduct.”

“I don’t think I was saying much here,” Helmy said. “I don’t know.”

The public inquiry will return to the commission on the week commencing December 8.

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