Do we misuse our leisure time?
Saturday, March 07, 2026
Obeid family loses control of $30m worth of Sydney properties after one of NSW's 'most brazen acts of corruption'
Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done."
~ Louis Brandeis, Supreme Court Justice
For many years I did not think that the Iron Curtain would fall in my lifetime. I also never thought that characters like the political kingmaker, Eddie Obeid, would ever be caught and punished…
In short:
The NSW Crime Commission says it has taken control of $30 million worth of properties linked to former New South Wales Labor politician Eddie Obeid.
New South Wales Crime Commissioner Stephen Dametto says new evidence and legislation changes assisted with the decade-long investigation.
What's next?
The commission is expecting a lengthy legal process to return the proceeds of Mr Obeid and his son's crimes to the people of New South Wales.
he NSW Crime Commission has placed a caveat over key Sydney development sites secretly owned by disgraced politician Eddie Obeid’s family trust, and frozen all property interests of Obeid Corporation Pty Ltd.
A decade-long forensic investigation into hidden Obeid assets worth tens of millions of dollars culminated in a closed hearing at the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, at which the commission secured an order to prevent the sale of the sites in Bankstown unless the order is lifted.
A Herald investigation in January revealed that an Obeid family trust fund had concealed a secret share, worth around $30 million, in land earmarked by the government for high-rise development next to a new Sydney metro station.
Email chains and confidential documents obtained by the Herald showed the Obeid family trust’s status as ultimate beneficiaries of the site had been deliberately hidden behind the ownership of Obeid associate and business partner Walhan Wehbe. Wehbe is not accused of being involved in Obeid’s crimes.
“This has been a marathon exercise in the face of a deliberately complex web of trusts and companies which have allowed the Obeid family to conceal the proceeds of crime,” NSW Crime Commissioner Stephen Dametto said.
“While two previous investigations did not result in the ability to confidently launch proceedings, at no stage did the commission give up.
“Ongoing investigations using coercive powers continued, new evidence was obtained and legislative amendments removing a six-year limit on recovering proceeds of crime provided what we needed to strike in the way we have.”
Authorities have repeatedly tried and failed to reclaim the $30 million that Eddie Obeid gained via a corrupt deal involving a coal exploration licence at Bylong, north-west of Sydney, for which he was convicted.
commission’s caveat is estimated to be worth up to $60 million. The Obeid family trust is potentially entitled to half that amount.
“While achieving the restraining order is an outstanding outcome, it is only the first step,” Dametto said.
“While the commission expects that numerous lengthy legal processes will follow, my message to the directors of the Obeid Corporation is to do the right thing and return the proceeds of Eddie and Moses Obeid’s crimes to the people of NSW.
“Otherwise, the commission will litigate this matter with determination to ensure the tens of millions of dollars acquired in one of the most brazen acts of corruption NSW has seen remain out of the reach of Mr Obeid and his family.”
The Bankstown land, presently home to the dilapidated Bellevue function centre and some leased shops, has been slated by the NSW Department of Planning for a 20-storey residential tower under the state’s transport-oriented development strategy.
The Obeid family trust moved to conceal its interest in the site in May 2018, when the family was facing intense scrutiny over its network of properties and business activities.
Financial documents show the trust fund transferred its 50 per cent stake in a company then named Redpoc Pty Ltd, which owned the site, to Wehbe, who owns numerous other properties around Bankstown.
The catch was that Wehbe held the shares on privately agreed terms, stating that any income would flow into an Obeid family trust, according to legal advice given to representatives of the Obeids and Wehbe.
Documents obtained by the Herald outline a complex but lawful accounting strategy deployed by Obeid family accountant Sid Sassine and tax lawyer Rolf Koops.
It meant that, as far as publicly available records held by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission show, the Obeids were no longer connected to the company that owns the land.
Family accountant Sassine had “accomplished miracles with our accounts where others before him had failed”, according to a testimonial on Sassine’s website from members of the Obeid family, deleted five years before the Redpoc transfer.
The accountant gave evidence at an Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing into a corrupt coal deal in 2013, denying he was the family’s “frontman” but agreeing he had worked to keep the Obeid name out of the spotlight.
“My role there is to conceal, yes, to hide the name Obeid from the general public, to avoid the hindrance that they’ve consistently had,” Sassine told the inquiry. They are not accused of wrongdoing by the commission.
Friday, March 06, 2026
The Kremlin Banned These Books. You Can Find Them in a New York Library
Meet the Researchers Who Can Engineer Your Dreams The Walrus. “Let me guess how this will work: they engineer criminal dreams and then they put you i prison for pre-crime.
Wuthering Heights, the movie
I liked it very much, noting it is not one for the purists. The visuals and soundtrack added to the general passionate feel. I can recommend the Jonathan Bate review and the Louise Perry review (WSJ). The other version of this movie I can recommend is the Luis Buñuel Mexican interpretation, also full of passion and that poor pig. At its heart, this is a very Mexican story and no way should it be done in a Masterpiece Theater kind of style.
I liked it very much, noting it is not one for the purists. The visuals and soundtrack added to the general passionate feel. I can recommend the Jonathan Bate review and the Louise Perry review (WSJ). The other version of this movie I can recommend is the Luis Buñuel Mexican interpretation, also full of passion and that poor pig. At its heart, this is a very Mexican story and no way should it be done in a Masterpiece Theater kind of style.
The Kremlin Banned These Books. You Can Find Them in a New York Library
The New York Times Gift Article: “Millions of banned books were smuggled into the Soviet Union in the 20th century — often in small batches, hidden in deliberately mislabeled containers, packed in food tins or tampon boxes and, in at least one case, tucked into a child’s diaper.
Soviet tourists visiting Western Europe brought mini-volumes of “Doctor Zhivago” back home with them. Members of the Moscow Philharmonic were said to have lined their sheet music with book pages.
From balloon-launching sites in West Germany, copies of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” were lofted into Eastern Europe. Published in Russian and other languages and known as “tamizdat,” the books were part of an audacious American venture, part literature, part propaganda and part spycraft, to destabilize the authoritarian Soviet regime from within.
Over the past several years, Hunter College in Manhattan has become home to a library of these remarkable books, thousands of which were once banned in the Soviet Union and elsewhere in Eastern Europe, and hundreds more that are censored in Russia today. The library is run by the nonprofit Tamizdat Project, which now possesses one of the largest special collections of contraband Russian literature in the world.
The library is open to visitors upon request, and this month White Rabbit Books on the Upper West Side will open a new section of its store devoted to selling old and new contraband Russian literature curated by the project.
The Tamizdat Project is the brainchild of Yakov Klots, a soft-spoken, unassuming literary scholar who teaches at Hunter. He chose the name from a Russian word meaning “published abroad,” which, along with samizdat (“to self-publish”), was one of the two main methods of evading Soviet book censorship.
The Iron Curtain, he noted, “wasn’t so iron after all,” and the books seeped through. Mr. Klots has assembled the library bit by bit, recruiting his students to build the metal IKEA bookshelves and soliciting book donations from friends and strangers, including the former U.S. ambassador to Russia, John Beyrle…”
A Law School Class on the Crimes of Jeffrey Epstein?
Although he is long gone, Jeffrey Epstein’s conduct has gripped the nation for many months. What about a law school course focusing on the legal issues surrounding his criminal activities?
There certainly are enough legal issuesto cover in a course. Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted on federal sex trafficking charges and is currently in prison. A few weeks ago, she pleaded the Fifth Amendment and refused to testify before Congress. Former President Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify before Congress on their relationship with Epstein. Maxwell and the Clintons’ knowledge of Epstein and his activities alone raise many legal issues. Among many others:
- The law surrounding sexual abusers and human trafficking.
- The professional responsibility of prosecutors to protect the public and abuse survivors.
- The moral failure of many people and the system to call attention to the ongoing victimization of minors.
- The influence of money, power, and influence on the criminal justice system.
- The pardon power of the President. Ghislaine Maxwell seems angling for a pardon for her testimony and President Trump has not ruled one out. Do the references to Trump in the Epstein files make a difference to the pardon potentials?
- The lawfulness of the redactions of the documents produced to Congress and related issues of the privacy of the survivors.
- The bi-partisan legislation resulting in the mass production of the Epstein files by the U.S. Department of Justice.
- The possible discipline of university professors for contacts with Epstein. See, e.g., here; here.
- Congressional oversight of the Department of Justice.
- The failure of government officials to act for years despite the many red flags surrounding Epstein and his activities.
There no doubt are a ton more issues. And certainly enough for a robust law school course — and much discussion.
Did Eastern Europe produce that many slaves?
Exclusive: David Taylor, the husband of Joani Reid, MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, named as one of those arrested
Did Eastern Europe produce that many slaves?
How X’s Algorithm Shifts Political Attitudes
Not only does brain-pickling by algorithm work, but it has a durable effect by influencing voter information sources over
Curtis Yarvin’s Dystopian Plan for “Gaza Inc.” Closer With Proposed Stablecoin
Gaza will be rebuilt as the first fully native-digital, stablecoin-driven surveillance society and a dystopian model for others
New Playbook Provides Solutions to Stop Private Equity Takeover of the Child Care Industry Open Markets Institute
Hoopes Presents “Does Voluntary Private Disclosure Reduce IRS Audit Risk?” Today At Duke
Jeff Hoopes (North Carolina) presents Does Voluntary Private Disclosure Reduce IRS Audit Risk? (co-authored with Andrew Belnap and Reed Hadfield) at Duke today, as part of its Tax Policy Seminar hosted by Larry Zelenak:
The Government Just Made it Harder to See What Spy Tech it Buys
Home Really Is Where the Heart Is Nautilus
Thursday, March 05, 2026
Julie Mullins Inspiring Teacher
Congratulations are in order …🎉🧬🔬
Julie Mullins
Impact in STEM or Innovation
Julie is an inspiring science educator and Head of Department at Parkdale Secondary College. She champions girls in STEM through targeted programs, curriculum innovation and real-world learning partnerships.
Her leadership is shaping confident, curious future scientists.
Kingston Women of the Year Awards
KPMG picks ex-Australia boss Gary Wingrove as next global chief
KPMG picks ex-Australia boss Gary Wingrove as next global chief
Ellesheva Kissin in London and Stephen Foley in New York
Published 4 March 2026
KPMG has selected Gary Wingrove as its next global chief executive, with the former head of its Australia business beating UK boss Jon Holt in the race to lead the 276,000-person firm, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Big Four accounting firm’s global board met in late February to discuss the candidates and recommended Wingrove, who is currently global chief operating officer of the $40bn-revenue operation, after an anonymous vote.
The decision is due to be ratified by the global council, a wider group of leaders of all of KPMG’s member firms, this month, according to the people familiar with the matter.
Holt, who had been viewed as an early favourite for the job, campaigned on a promise of transformation for the global firm after almost five years running KPMG in the UK, where he is seen as having repaired its reputation from a series of audit failures. He oversaw a successful merger of KPMG’s UK and Swiss firms.
Wingrove also set out a vision for running KPMG in a fast-changing industry, according to a person familiar with his pitch. He has been an architect of KPMG’s strategy to force consolidation among its national member firms since joining the global management team in January 2022.
Before that, he ran KPMG’s Australia business for eight years, including through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Unlike traditional companies, KPMG is structured as a network of locally owned partnerships that share a brand, under the global umbrella body that Wingrove will now lead.
The FT reported in January that Holt and Wingrove were in a two-person race to lead the organisation.
Wingrove had “been behind some of the most transformational aspects” of KPMG’s strategy in recent years, including closer integration and “multibillion-dollar investments in technology and AI”, according to a person familiar with the business.
The changes had helped KPMG to be the fastest-growing of the Big Four globally for the past two years, the person said, ahead of larger rivals Deloitte, EY and PwC. As leader of KPMG Australia, he oversaw a near-doubling of revenue, profits and headcount, the person added.
Another person familiar with the race said Holt had pitched himself as the more progressive candidate while Wingrove had been seen by some board members as a continuity candidate with operational strengths. “In the end the majority of the board opted for more of the same. Time will tell whether that’s the right choice,” the person said.
Holt plans to see out the last three years of his term at the helm of the 16,000-person UK firm, according to a person familiar with his thinking, scotching the possibility of an immediate leadership contest at KPMG’s second-largest member firm.
Many senior partners in the UK had been confident Holt would win the global job and had begun jostling for position in anticipation of a vacancy, with a number of candidates being seriously considered until last week, according to one person at the firm.
KPMG International has said its current boss Bill Thomas’s term runs until September 30. “KPMG International has a process under way for electing a new Chair & CEO, which will conclude when the . . . Global Council meets in March,” it said.
London/New York | KPMG has selected Gary Wingrove as its next global chief executive, with the former head of its Australia business beating UK boss Jon Holt in the race to lead the 276,000-person firm, according to people familiar with the matter.
The big four accounting firm’s global board met in late February to discuss the candidates and recommended Wingrove, who is currently global chief operating officer of the $US40 billion-revenue ($56 billion) operation, after an anonymous vote.
Gary Wingrove ran KPMG’s Australia business for eight years, including through the COVID-19 pandemic. Renee Nowytarger
The decision is due to be ratified by the global council, a wider group of leaders of all of KPMG’s member firms, this month, according to the people familiar with the matter.
Holt, who had been viewed as an early favourite for the job, campaigned on a promise of transformation for the global firm after almost five years running KPMG in the UK, where he is seen as having repaired its reputation from a series of audit failures. He oversaw a successful merger of KPMG’s UK and Swiss firms.
Wingrove also set out a vision for running KPMG in a fast-changing industry, according to a person familiar with his pitch. He has been an architect of KPMG’s strategy to force consolidation among its national member firms since joining the global management team in January 2022.
Before that, he ran KPMG’s Australia business for eight years, including through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unlike traditional companies, KPMG is structured as a network of locally owned partnerships that share a brand, under the global umbrella body that Wingrove will now lead.
The Financial Times reported in January that Holt and Wingrove were in a two-person race to lead the organisation.
Wingrove had “been behind some of the most transformational aspects” of KPMG’s strategy recently, including closer integration and “multibillion-dollar investments in technology and AI”, according to a person familiar with the business.
The changes had helped KPMG to be the fastest-growing of the big four globally for the past two years, the person said, ahead of larger rivals Deloitte, EY and PwC. As leader of KPMG Australia, he oversaw a near-doubling of revenue, profits and headcount, the person added.
Another person familiar with the race said Holt had pitched himself as the more progressive candidate while Wingrove had been seen by some board members as a continuity candidate with operational strengths. “In the end the majority of the board opted for more of the same. Time will tell whether that’s the right choice,” the person said.
Holt plans to see out the last three years of his term at the helm of the 16,000-person UK firm, according to a person familiar with his thinking, scotching the possibility of an immediate leadership contest at KPMG’s second-largest member firm.
Many senior partners in the UK had been confident Holt would win the global job and had begun jostling for position in anticipation of a vacancy, with several candidates being seriously considered until last week, according to one person at the firm.
KPMG International has said its current boss Bill Thomas’ term runs until September 30. “KPMG International has a process under way for electing a new chair and CEO, which will conclude when the ... Global Council meets in March,” it said.
Make AFR.com your preferred news source on Google
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)