Crown prosecutor Peter Neil, SC, alleged in his opening address to the jury that Mr Obeid – a "very devoted family man" with a keen interest in the advancement of his wife and their children and grandchildren – "used his position to promote his own private interests". Mr Neil said there was an "irresistible inference" that cash takings from the cafes went to both Mr Obeid and his wife Judith "in substantial sums". There would be an issue in the trial as to whether envelopes of cash marked "Dad" or "EO" were given to Mr Obeid at the time he was lobbying over the leases, in addition to separate weekly payments of about $1000 to Mrs Obeid, he said. He said records of the cafe's bookkeeper, Mrs Obeid's cousin Paul Maroon, pointed to those payments being made. But Mr Neil added Mr Maroon suffered from epilepsy, had suffered a number of falls and "he will tell you straight out that he has a very poor memory". The court heard Mrs Obeid, the couple's sons Damian and Moses and Mr Obeid's former colleague Joe Tripodi will be among the witnesses.

Mr Neil said the Crown case was that members of parliament had "to be scrupulous in drawing a line" between public duties and things done to advance one's personal interest. He alleged Mr Obeid "effectively held out" to Steve Dunn, then deputy chief executive of the state Maritime Authority, that he was "making representations in his capacity as a Member of the Legislative Council on behalf of arm's length constituents" when lobbying him about the plight of leaseholders. The court heard that at the time of the alleged misconduct tenants at Circular Quay were seeking a renewal of their leases via direct negotiation rather than public tender. Mr Neil alleged Mr Obeid asked Mr Dunn, who was then "brand new" in the maritime authority, to meet with a representative acting for disgruntled tenants without revealing he had a "substantial interest" in leases on wharves four and five. Mr Obeid and Mr Dunn had met when the former was minister for fisheries and the latter the director-general of the fisheries department, he said.

"Mr Dunn, we expect, will tell you he had a high regard for Mr Obeid and came to regard him as a mentor ... [and] someone who could assist him in his career," Mr Neil said. He said Mr Dunn was "primed, you may think, to be receptive" to lobbying on behalf of the leaseholders. Justice Robert Beech-Jones told the pool of potential jurors there was a "clear possibility, even likelihood" they were aware of Mr Obeid's former position and had read media reports about him. He said it was "vital" for them to consider if they could put that aside and judge him impartially "and not in accordance with, or affected by, preconceived views". He said if they could not do so, "I implore you to come forward". "A true verdict can only be given by a jury who is impartial," Justice Beech-Jones said.

He said the safest course was to avoid media reports of the trial and commentary on social media such as Twitter. It was a "serious criminal offence" to conduct research about the accused outside the courtroom. A jury of 12 men and women was empanelled shortly before midday. The trial is slated to run for three weeks.