By court reporter Jamelle Wells
Updated 8 minutes ago
Related Story: Minister received car without payment, inquiry told
A witness has told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) that her signature was forged on registration papers for a "sham" car purchase by a former New South Wales Labor minister.
ICAC is investigating the circumstances in which former roads minister Eric Roozendaal replaced his car when his wife crashed it in 2007.
The hearing in Sydney is taking place as part of a major corruption inquiry into three former Labor ministers.
It is alleged that Mr Roozendaal's colleague Eddie Obeid provided a new car at $10,000 below market value as an incentive.
The inquiry has heard it was first registered in the name Nata Re, the sister of Obeid family friends Rocco and Rosario Triulcio.
It was also handled by another car dealer, Keith Goodman, and later transferred into Eric Roozendaal wife's name.
ICAC has been told that police contacted Nata Re after the car was involved in a hit-run accident, because she was still the registered owner.
But when shown registration papers today, Nata Re told the inquiry the signature on them was not hers, and had been forged.
She also denied knowing Mr Roozendaal or Mr Goodman.
Counsel Assisting Geoffrey Watson SC said to the witness, "I'm going to suggest to you that you were involved, you were a party to a sham and that what your brothers did was use your name to provide a provenance for the Honda."
Ms Re replied, "No".
She also denied that her brothers asked her to use her name on registration papers before they transferred it.
Her brother, the developer Rocco Triulcio, also denied knowing certain details about the Honda car provided for Mr Roozendaal.
And he also could not explain how an amount of over $44,000 was deposited into a bank account and then withdrawn.
Mr Roozendaal, who is still a member of the New South Wales Parliament's Upper House, was in the public gallery smiling at times during Rocco Triulcio's evidence.
After several heated exchanges with Mr Triulcio, Mr Watson said to him: "I'm going to put to you that what you've been telling us is a great load of rubbish and a deliberate lie".
Outside the hearing, Rocco Triulcio rejected allegations made against his family.
"All I'm gonna say is, and I'll say it again, what was said yesterday is flawed. Completely," he said.
"By today's evidence you will see that it's completely flawed. We're innocent, my brother and I and my sister are completely innocent."
Three former Labor minsters are being investigated as part of the inquiry, which could run for five months
Signature on MP's car rego forged, ICAC told - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
