JOHN Cassidy will appear before the anti-corruption watchdog on July 21 over allegations of impropriety while he was chancellor at UNE.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A list of witnesses to be called at the five-day inquiry will be published later next week.
Mr Cassidy, 69, was chancellor in 2005 when his business partner Darrell Hendry acquired the university-owned Tattersalls hotel in the Mall.
An ICAC spokeswoman said Mr Cassidy was facing allegations he provided confidential information to Mr Hendry and the provision of such information was “for the benefit of himself and Mr Hendry”.
The Tattersalls Hotel had been acquired on the university's behalf for $900,000 in 1995 by former Northern Tablelands MP Richard Torbay, then head of the UNE Union.
The art deco hotel, with its 42 bedrooms, was not the money-spinner the union had hoped and in 2005 the union was put into administration with instructions to sell the hotel.
The day after Mr Torbay was appointed to the university council, on September 29, 2005, the council resolved to take over all the assets and liabilities of the troubled UNE Union. A new entity, Services UNE, was established.
It was initially recommended the hotel be put up for auction, however, it was later decided to sell it by tender. The successful tenderer was Mr Hendry's company Armpub No.1.
Corporate records show on January 30, 2006, three days before the pub sale was finalised, Mr Cassidy joined Mr Hendry as a director of Armpub.
Some weeks later rumours began to surface that Mr Cassidy had joined Mr Hendry as an owner of the Tattersalls in Beardy Street.
At the time, Mr Cassidy told The Express of his outrage at the suggestion he had inside knowledge on the sale. He denied having any knowledge of the tender process, the article suggested.
But a Fairfax Media investigation revealed Mr Cassidy was part of a small group which worked with the administrator, to dispose of the hotel.
University of New England’s then vice-chancellor Jim Barber referred the issues to the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Among the allegations to be examined are that Mr Cassidy did not disclose before early February 2006 that he, or any entities associated with him, intended to acquire an interest in the hotel with Mr Hendry.
It is also alleged Mr Cassidy misled a UNE Council committee when he claimed, among other things, that on learning Mr Hendry submitted a tender to purchase the hotel, he advised Services UNE Limited’s solicitors of a potential conflict of interest as Mr Hendry was well known to him.
