By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Former Casey councillor Susan Serey said her “heart went out” to colleague Sam Aziz during his controversial defamation suit against a Berwick Springs resident, an IBAC inquiry has heard.
Defying council officer advice, councillors secretly voted for ratepayers to foot the $80,000 legal costs for Mr Aziz’s “private action” in 2017 and 2019.
The votes occurred in closed council.
Casey Council recouped about $15,000 after the resident settled with Mr Aziz.
Ms Serey told the IBAC hearing on 12 March that she didn’t think the move was strange. Her sympathy was with Mr Aziz after he and the council were “bagged” on a Facebook page opposed to a “contentious” project to move a roundabout in front of Berwick Springs estate in Narre Warren South.
“I think there was a series of attacks on the council and Cr Aziz being accused of corruption and something else, just about his behaviour.
“I had sympathy for Mr Aziz, who was going through that, because he was the one who was being targeted by the community.”
Ms Serey said she opted to “stay out of the public” but Mr Aziz “may attract that” with his Facebook and Twitter commentary.
“If something like that happened to me I’d hope that the council would see that that was in my position as councillor and, you know, I would want some assistance if I wanted to go down that track.”
When first discussed, Mr Aziz was Casey mayor at the time and Ms Serey his co-deputy.
Mr Aziz absented himself during the decision but told councillors of the “distressing nature” of the Facebook attack.
“You know, my heart went out to him at the time,” Ms Serey said.
“I wouldn’t want that to happen to me.”
Former councillor Gary Rowe told IBAC on 13 March that Mr Aziz was the “target of significant personal abuse” as a result of his “public duties”.
“Not that he didn’t give as much back, I suppose, and I guess allegations of other things.”
Casey CEO Glenn Patterson had told IBAC that council officers consistently advised that the council shouldn’t fund “what’s essentially a private action with the use of public funds”.
IBAC is currently investigating allegations that Mr Aziz received $900,000 from developer John Woodman while voting and lobbying in favour of Mr Woodman’s proposals at council.
