One of the councillors suspended from Sydney's controversial Auburn Council has denied striking rezoning deals to help a political ally, and bribing planning staff with thousands of dollars worth of free cupboards.
Ronney Oueik made the comments as he gave evidence at an inquiry into allegations of misconduct at the now-defunct Auburn Council.
In 2013, the council decided to look at rezoning a precinct known as the Berala Village Centre, despite a draft study recommending against changes to planning controls.
The following year, the councillors were taken on a retreat in Bowral, where the project was once again considered.
After being given coloured pencils and a map, they were asked to literally colour in the ways they thought the area should be rezoned.
Three councillors proposed rezoning an area to extend to land owned by Hicham Zraika, one of Mr Oueik's political allies.
The changes would have added several storeys to the height limit of properties in the street, thereby increasing their value.
Council then proposed a draft scenario that reflected the position of those three councillors.
Mr Oueik told the inquiry today that while he could not remember how he coloured in the map, he had supported the rezoning.
Mr Zraika and Mr Oueik were part of what other councillors had dubbed the "super-six" — a political alliance which held the majority of council.
But Mr Oueik denied any deals were made over the Berala rezoning.
"There's no deal, where's the deal?" he said.
The counsel assisting, Paul Bolster, asked Mr Oueik why he had supported the rezoning given planning advice recommended against changes.
"We're not kids, we're elected by the people for the people — we go through elections, it's hard work, we tried to do the right thing for the community and we're getting punished," Mr Oueik told the inquiry.
"We were asked to give an opinion and we did."
Mr Bolster then asked whether the fact Mr Zraika stood to benefit from the changes was purely a coincidence.
"I don't know how to explain this to you, but I don't look at a person who owns ... who's going to make money and who's not going to make money," he replied.
Oueik denies gifting $2,000 cabinets
Mr Oueik also denied giving $2,000 worth of free cupboards to the council's former planning chief, Glenn Francis.
In evidence given to private hearings ahead of the inquiry, Mr Francis said that in 2006, Mr Oueik arranged for some tradesmen to help renovate his home and one of them refused to accept payment after delivering new cupboards.
He confronted Mr Oueik about the situation and tried to give him $2,000 for the cupboards, however said Mr Oueik refused the money, insisting it was a "gift".
However in the hearing today, Mr Oueik denied telling Mr Francis the cupboards were gifts.
"He did come to my house, one day in the morning he knocked on my door, and he said 'good morning' ... he was so happy he had the kitchen cabinets delivered ... he said 'I got some money'.
"I said the way it works is you don't pay the kitchen cupboards on delivery, you pay after installation.
"I said to him, I can't remember the exact words Mr Commissioner ... I said very clear you pay them directly, and I hardly knew him back then."
The inquiry continues.
