FORMER NSW energy minister Chris Hartcher and MPs Chris Spence and Darren Webber have voluntarily withdrawn from the Liberal Party while a corruption probe against them is carried out.

They will sit on the crossbench after ICAC announced a public inquiry into allegations they “corruptly solicited and received payments” in exchange for helping certain interests.

Senior government sources confirmed last night that “steps were under way” to suspend the trio from the party but all three men jumped before they were pushed this morning.

ICAC announced yesterday it would investigate the Hartcher affair in April as well as yet another corruption inquiry into former Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid next month — this time in relation to favours for a firm his family is alleged to have had a secret $3 million interest in, Australian Water.

media_camera Libs suspended

Mr Hartcher and fellow Central Coast Liberal MPs Chris Spence and Darren Webber, and on the Labor side former ministers Obeid, Joe Tripodi and Tony Kelly will face separate inquiries accusing them of corruption. Mr Hartcher will also be accused of corruption as part of the Australian Water hearings.

The scandal means Premier Barry O’Farrell could be faced with three by-elections before the 2015 state election or the loss of three Central Coast seats.

Uniting Mr Hartcher and Mr Obeid under the ICAC glare will be their associations with Nick Di Girolamo, the former chief executive of Australian Water and Liberal Party donor.

Mr Obeid, whose son Eddie Obeid Jr worked for Australian Water, confirmed yesterday he had introduced Mr Di Girolamo to former Labor ministers but said Mr Di Girolamo had impeccable Liberal connections.

“I did the introductions to ministers — it was up to them to talk about [what was relevant] to him,” Mr Obeid said.

“He’s a member of the Liberal Party, he’s one of the finance people, he’s great friends with O’Farrell. I’m not concerned one iota.”

ICAC did not reveal what interests connected to Mr Di Girolamo were allegedly favoured by Mr Hartcher but the former minerals minister and his colleagues before the 2011 election were opposed to the $800 million Wallarah 2 coal mine on the Central Coast.

Mr Di Girolamo lobbied for the mine after the election.

The Department of Planning ironically announced yesterday it found no reason why the mine could not go ahead.

The commission said the Australian Water inquiry, Operation Credo, would begin on March 17 and would investigate allegations that between 2004 and 2012 Australian Water overcharged Sydney Water.

Further allegations include that in 2010 Mr Obeid, Mr Tripodi and Mr Kelly “misused their positions to attempt to influence public officials” on behalf of Australian Water.

Mr Di Girolamo and Eddie Obeid Junior would also be accused of attempting to mislead ICAC by creating a “false deed”.

It is unclear if federal Assistant Treasurer Arthur Sinodinos, who was chair of Australian Water for some of the period under investigation, will feature in the inquiry.

But it seems likely that Mr Sinodinos and even the Premier may be called because ICAC said it would examine the circumstances that led to the signing of the current contract between Sydney Water and the successor to AWH, which occurred after Mr O’Farrell had been lobbied.

ICAC said : “Operation Spicer will examine whether, between April 2009 and April 2012 ... Christopher Hartcher, Darren Webber and Christopher Spence, along with others [former staffers] including Timothy Koelma and Raymond Carter, corruptly solicited, received, and concealed payments ... in return for ... favouring the interests of those responsible for the payments.”

It would also examine whether MPs an d Mr Carter “between December 2010 and November 2011 … solicited, received and failed to disclose political donations from companies, including prohibited donors”.

NO HURRY TO SEIZE OBEID’S ASSETS Andrew Clennell and Alicia Wood

THE ICAC referred a proposal to freeze or seize Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid’s assets a year ago to the Crime Commission but it is yet to act on it and will not decide whether to act until the end of the year.

Commission boss Peter Hastings yesterday confirmed that it would be the end of the year before he decided whether or not to pursue the assets of those found corrupt in last year’s ICAC investigations — and it may already be too late to recover them.

Mr Hastings said that he had to provide evidence strong enough to win a Supreme Court application to freeze assets.

The ICAC is understood to have been keen on stopping Mr Obeid getting proceeds from the Mt Penny coal mine deal which saw his farm double in value after a mining licence was granted on the site. The Obeids also gained millions through a secret interest in the licence.

ICAC has found Mr Obeid acted corruptly in relation to the mine but the DPP is working on whether to press charges.

“A huge amount of work has been done reviewing the evidence provided by the ICAC,” Mr Hastings said.

“We have to work out . . what’s admissible (in the courts) and what’s not. It’s a complex issue ... of assessment to ensure proceedings are not a waste of time. These people will fight tooth and nail (in the courts) and at the end of the day (we might) end up with nothing.”

The other issue will be proving where the money that was allegedly received went. Yesterday, Mr Obeid said: “I don’t believe there’s any justification for any of this (freezing of assets). That will not happen