Three former Sydney councillors will be investigated by the NSW corruption watchdog over whether they accepted bribes to favour two major developments.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will hold public hearings into the conduct of former Georges River councillors Constantine Hindi, Vincenzo Badalati and Philip Sansom as part of Operation Galley.
The watchdog will investigate if the councillors "dishonestly exercised their official functions" in exchange for gifts and benefits, including flights and accommodation for overseas trips, from 2014 until last year.
All three councillors served on Hurstville Council, before it merged with Kogarah Council to form Georges River Council in 2016.
The ABC understands Mr Badalati and Mr Hindi chose not to run during last year's local elections, while Mr Samson's term finished six years ago.
At the centre of the investigation are two Hurstville projects by developers Ching Wah (Philip) Uy, Wensheng Liu and Yuqing Liu.
The two projects are the $29 million Treacy Street development, an 11-storey mixed-use apartment block, and the Landmark Square development, a multi-million-dollar complex of residential buildings that reach 19 storeys.
Whether the councillors deliberately failed to declare or manage any conflicts of interests with their relationships with the developers is also a subject of the hearings.
The council first learned Mr Badalati and Mr Hindi were being investigated after ICAC sent a letter in November 2019.
At a meeting a year later, there was an effort to force the councillors to "stand aside" until the investigation wrapped up, but it ultimately failed.
ICAC's public hearings will run for five weeks from June 14 with Commissioner Stephen Rushton presiding.
Georges River Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month, ICAC launched its public inquiry into representatives of a nearby inner west council as part of a similar investigation.
The hearings are examining if long-time Canada Bay Council Mayor Angelo Tsirekas abused his position, by helping fast track a developer's project in exchange for bribes.
Mr Tsirekas previously declined to comment on the charges.
The investigation continues.
