The jury in the criminal trial of former NSW Labor minister Eddie Obeid has been discharged after the discovery of new evidence, a development which will delay the trial for some months.
Obeid, 72, is being prosecuted for misconduct in public office over representations he allegedly made to a Maritime Authority official about the grievances of a group of Circular Quay tenants in 2007.
The supreme court had heard Obeid did not reveal that his family had an interest in two cafes at Circular Quay, Sydney, which were seeking to renew their leases without going to a public tender.
Obeid was a member of the NSW upper house at the time and allegedly collected about $1,000 a week in cash from the businesses. Obeid pleaded not guilty to the charge.
But on Wednesday Justice Robert Beech-Jones discharged the jury due to the discovery of new evidence on what would have been the 10th day of the trial.
He told the court “with great regret” that discharging the jury was necessary “because new evidentiary material has come to light that neither the prosecution nor the defence has had a proper opportunity to examine”.
Justice Beech-Jones said the revelation of new material mid-trial was not the fault of the prosecution or defence but a fair trial could not proceed without an opportunity to examine the evidence.
The crown will now identify what further material it will rely on in the trial before a 18 March hearing for a mention and directions.
