Sydney murder query angers Ron Medich

Property developer Ron Medich responded angrily when asked at a NSW parliamentary
inquiry if he was involved in the murder of a Sydney businessman.
Mr Medich fronted the upper house inquiry into dealings over former CSIRO land he
and his brother Roy Medich purchased in western Sydney in 1996.

But Greens MP Sylvia Hale used the opportunity to ask Mr Medich if he had "any
involvement" in the murder of his former associate Michael McGurk in early
September.

The question was ruled out of order by the inquiry chair, Nationals MP Jenny
Gardiner, but not before it had prompted a response from Mr Medich.
"You've got to be joking," he told the inquiry.
"You're a shocker.
"I think that's a bloody disgrace."
The inquiry was established amid claims Mr McGurk possessed a recording of a
conversation he had with Mr Medich allegedly containing evidence of corruption by
Labor MPs and senior officials.
Mr Medich told Tuesday's inquiry he had never heard the recording, but remembered
the meeting and said the recording was illegally done as a form of extortion.
He said he'd been told only one person was named on the tape - NSW Planning
Department director general Sam Haddad.
However, Mr Medich said he'd never had a discussion or met with Mr Haddad.
He could not remember the date the recorded conversation occurred other than to say
it was "some time ago", but said it took place in the boardroom of a solicitor's
office.
"I didn't want to listen to it because I knew it was bullshit," Mr Medich said of
the recording.
"I do believe there are other people involved in this extortion beside from Michael
McGurk."
Mr Medich said he had previously been contacted and told the tape would be taken to
the "tax department" and released if he did not stop legal proceedings to recover
money owed to him by Mr McGurk.
"So you know what I did? I went to the police, because I knew that I hadn't said
anything and I hadn't had any dealings with anybody," he told the inquiry.
Mr Medich also responded angrily to Ms Hale asking if had then asked his associate
and former boxer Lucky Gattellari to "take any action in relation to the McGurk
tape".
"Definitely not," he said.
"This is a fairly ridiculous line of questioning."
Mr McGurk, 45, was gunned down in front of his 10-year-old son outside their
Cremorne home on September 3.
His execution-style killing sparked a homicide investigation, but also led to this
parliamentary inquiry and an Independent Commission Against Corruption
investigation.
Mr Medich said allegations that have surfaced in the weeks since Mr McGurk's murder
have been "rubbish and untrue" and had caused him problems.
His brother, Roy Medich, fronted the inquiry earlier on Tuesday, and said the impact
of the claims were "frightening" and had impacted on his life and that of his
family.
Roy Medich also told the inquiry he did not link more than $200,000 in donations to
the NSW ALP to his bid to have the Badgerys Creek land rezoned for development.
It was revealed during the hearing that the Medichs had donated $218,000 to Labor
between September 2005 and December 2008, compared with just $2,750 to the Liberal
Party over a similar period.
Mr Medich rejected suggestions this was an attempt to gain government support for
the rezoning.
"I honestly didn't relate it to that," Mr Medich told the inquiry.
"I never even thought of it in that way."
Mr Medich said he'd made donations to both Liberal and Labor all his life, but his
father was an ALP supporter.
He'd also grown up around the Labor movement having lived around the corner from
former prime minister Gough Whitlam and gone to school with his son.
The second day of public hearings for the parliamentary inquiry is scheduled for
October 19.