Former Labor minister Joe Tripodi was accused of doctoring a cabinet minute in 2010. Credit:Peter Rae Senator Sinodinos, who gave evidence as a witness, is not expected to face a corruption finding but he came under pressure in the witness box to explain why he did nothing to investigate exorbitant expenses charged by Australian Water to the state-owned utility Sydney Water. The commission also explored allegations Obeid improperly lobbied colleagues to favour the water company in which his family were alleged to be secret shareholders. Obeid's former ministerial colleagues, Joe Tripodi and Tony Kelly, were accused of doctoring a cabinet minute in 2010 as a favour to Obeid. The original cabinet minute recommended the rejection of AWH's proposal that it went into a private-public deal with the government to provide water infrastructure.

Senator Arthur Sinodinos suffered a humiliating stint in the witness box during the ICAC inquiry. Credit:Christopher Pearce The cabinet minute was altered to recommend approval. Both Mr Kelly and Mr Tripodi denied any wrongdoing but their alleged roles in the alleged alteration of the cabinet minute was described during the inquiry as "tantamount to fraud". The cabinet minute was later withdrawn at the insistence of then-premier Kristina Keneally. If it had been successful, untold wealth would have flowed to the Obeids and others associated with AWH. Senator Sinodinos, the legendary power behind the throne during John Howard's prime ministership, suffered a humiliating stint in the witness box. His examination, which was punctuated by "I don't recall" or "I don't remember", focused on why he did nothing to investigate why AWH was billing huge expenses to the state-owned Sydney Water when its work delivering water and sewerage infrastructure to new housing estates in Sydney's north-west was winding down.

For instance, Senator Sinodinos could not recall the then head of Sydney Water, Kerry Schott, warning him in 2009 to be careful of the company he was keeping at AWH "because they may be dishonest". Nor did he recall another warning from AWH shareholder Rod de Aboitiz who said that AWH's spending was out of control and that the company was in danger of collapse. Mr de Aboitiz said he had also pointed out that AWH, which had one contract and 10 employees, was struggling to pay its tax bills yet was still making donations to the Liberal Party. Senator Sinodinos, who was chairman of AWH for a year from November 2010, told the inquiry he was unaware the party of which he was then honorary treasurer was receiving hefty donations from AWH, which was paying him $200,000 a year plus bonuses for less than 50 hours' work a year as a director. The inquiry heard Senator Sinodinos lobbied then Opposition leader Barry O'Farrell to support granting AWH a government contract but did not inform Mr O'Farrell he stood to make as much as $20 million from the deal.

Mr O'Farrell, who led the Coalition to a thumping election victory in March 2011, resigned as premier in April 2014 after a handwritten note contradicted his unequivocal denial at ICAC that he received a $3000 bottle of Grange from Mr Di Girolamo. Mr O'Farrell is not expected to face a corruption finding and was not a target of the investigation. Mr Di Girolamo, a former chief executive and chairman of AWH, was questioned over lavish expenses billed by the company to Sydney Water including limousines and airfares. The inquiry heard AWH billed Sydney Water for a range of expenses including $76,000 for donations to the NSW Liberal Party, $15,000 for a Balmain Tigers dinner, $17,000 per month for lobbyists and $885 for limousines for Mr Di Girolamo and Obeid's son Eddie jnr. Mr Di Girolamo said the bills were "mistakes".