The County Court filing in October was part of a successful bid by the Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) to stop Cr Aziz from selling his Berwick house. Cr Sam Aziz is former mayor of the City of Casey. Credit:James Taylor It was filed before three weeks of public hearings through November and December where IBAC heard extraordinary evidence of alleged corruption in Melbourne’s south-east. That evidence included how Mr Woodman allegedly bribed two Casey councillors and showered councillors and state political candidates with donations in his bid to win planning approvals worth hundreds of millions of dollars for his developer clients and himself. Cr Aziz allegedly brought $600,000 in cash in a suitcase to Mr Woodman in 2017 and then, over about a year, received back $822,000 to interests associated with Cr Aziz. Payments were also made to Cr Aziz's mother, his fiancé, to settle Cr Aziz's tax debts, to pay off a car lease and to settle his divorce from his ex-wife.

In the County Court affidavit investigator Darren Prickett, said that after raids on Cr Aziz’s Berwick house in September IBAC discovered the “tainted” property (the house) had been listed for sale on a real estate website for $700,000 to $770,000. Loading Land title documents for Cr Aziz’s Berwick property show that judge Susan Cohen in October ordered the property not be sold. Cr Aziz’s whereabouts are now unknown after he left Australia for the Middle East ahead of the public hearings. IBAC does not have the power to prevent people of interest, such as Cr Aziz, from leaving the country. On Friday The Age visited the Roxburgh Park house where he had been living with his new wife before he left.

A young woman, who did not give her name, answered the door and said Cr Aziz “was not here at the moment” and when asked if he was in Australia replied “yeah”. An older woman then shut down the conversation and said “we’re not interested” in talking. Repeated attempts to contact Cr Aziz via phone calls and text message failed and his phone number appeared to still have an international dial tone when called. The affidavit in the County Court said Cr Aziz is “maintaining a suspected corrupt relationship” with developer John Woodman but indicated the criminal fall-out could be broader. It said “certain City of Casey councillors”, including Cr Aziz, and “certain property developers”, including Mr Woodman, may have provided or received “bribes or secret commissions in return for favourable council decisions.” Developer John Woodman leaving the anti-corruption hearings. Credit:Justin McManus

The investigator warned that if the criminal charges were proved at trial it would “significantly undermine” public trust in Casey council “and public trust in the Victorian planning system more broadly.” Loading Cr Aziz, who was born in Egypt and is a prominent Australian Coptic Christian, has had a number of significant roles outside of council including as a Victorian multicultural commissioner. He was also a political adviser to a state Labor minister in the 1990s. He switched party allegiance to become a Liberal while on Casey council and has courted controversy with homophobic and Islamophobic comments. In 2014 he told Muslim leaders to leave Australia and “go home” if they felt alienated. He also had a lengthy career at Customs in sensitive senior roles including as a director of intelligence and investigations.

A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson would not comment on whether they had concerns that a former senior Customs official was caught up in serious allegations of corruption.“The Department does not comment on individual employee matters,” they said. On Saturday, The Age reported that senior property development figures in Victoria are warning of a slowdown in planning approvals and a collapse of public trust in the system due to the land scandal. Developers are also concerned that Planning Minister Richard Wynne, who is renowned for his cautious decision-making, has become even more risk-averse. The IBAC public hearings are expected to resume in late February and run into March. Know more? Contact us securely via JournoTips