'Not on your life': Ex-NSW minister quizzed over friend's donation
Damien Tudehope tells the state's corruption inquiry he did not believe payments made by his friend and hotelier Michael O'Hara, a prohibited donor, were political donations.
Former NSW Liberal minister Damien Tudehope has testified before a corruption inquiry that he was unaware donations from his friend and hotelier Michael O'Hara could have breached electoral funding laws. Tudehope, who did not accuse O'Hara of any wrongdoing, revealed his shock upon learning O'Hara made tens-of-thousands of dollars in donations using a company called Paslibdan Pty Ltd. The donations were disguised as consultancy payments to help consolidate conservative members within the Liberal Party.
Tudehope claimed he would never have exposed O'Hara to legal risk, knowing he was a prohibited donor under the Electoral Funding Act. The inquiry also examined whether O'Hara made undeclared political donations exceeding the applicable donation caps.
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