A Bankstown Council Officer has been stood down from his job and investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) over allegedly corrupt behaviour in giving inappropriate information to the operators of a Sefton brothel.

The man, a council planner, is alleged to have given information to the brothel in return for favours.

Sefton residents have been complaining to the council about the brothel in Helen Street for about four years, and to the Torch for at least the past two years.

For the past two months both the Council’s General Manager, Richard Colley, and the Torch have been effectively silenced while they waited for the ICAC to complete its investigation of the council employee.

"We have always known the owner of the building and now we know the owners of the brothel business," Mr Colley said. "We now have the information necessary to close down this illegal brothel. Brothels are not illegal in themselves but the unapproved use of the building is illegal. Now we can strop the brothel which is what we wanted to do all along."

"We have identified the staff member who has allegedly taken part in irregular and suspicious behaviour. That staff member is now on leave and his union has been informed. He was advised by ICAC to contact his union and get legal advice."

"Unfortunately we’re left hanging while the ICAC decides the results of its investigation. The ICAC will have to decide to conduct a public hearing, which could take a long time, or a private hearing with just the ICAC Commissioner, his investigators and our employee, which would be much faster."

Following the hearing, public or private, the ICAC will decide whether to refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The DPP would have to decide whether to prosecute the man for his allegedly inappropriate behaviour uncovered by the ICAC’s surveillance.

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