Former Canterbury councillor Pierre Azzi threatened the council's planning boss, Spiro Stavis, he could lose his job if he did not "fix" dodgy development applications, a corruption inquiry has heard.
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Details of unrecorded meetings, close relationships between staff and property developers and pressure from the highest levels of Canterbury council to advance building projects were contained in fresh allegations aired on Tuesday.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption is examining potential corruption by the former general manager Jim Montague, the director of planning Mr Stavis, former Liberal councillor Michael Hawatt and former Labor councillor Mr Azzi.
Those corruption allegations focus on development applications at the former Canterbury council, which has since amalgamated with Bankstown council.
It is also examining how the unqualified Mr Stavis scored the plum role of planning boss at the council and what he did once in the job.
Counsel assisting the commission, David Buchanan, SC, said in an opening address the inquiry would examine a fresh allegation that Mr Azzi and Mr Stavis acted corruptly in regards to two development applications to favour the interests of developer Marwan Chanine and his brother, architect Ziad Chanine.
The inquiry was told Chanine Design Architects lodged development applications seeking approval to construct buildings up to nine storeys on Canterbury Road and Close Street in April 2015.
A planning consultant recommended the applications be knocked back, partly due to "the excessive bulk and scale" of one development and because the projects failed to comply with planning laws.
However, the council continued to move the development applications forward so they could be considered at an Independent Hearing and Assessment Panel meeting in November.
"There will be evidence that around this time Mr Montague had expressed a keen interest in these applications being progressed," Mr Buchanan said.
The inquiry heard Mr Stavis was close to the Chanine brothers at the time the applications were being assessed and had addressed Ziad as "mate" in an email in September 2015.
In October, Mr Stavis wrote to the Chanine's seeking more material on parts of the applications that failed to comply with planning controls.
"It will be open for the commission to conclude that ... Mr Stavis indicated he was trying to help the Chanines and that Marwan Chanine needed to provide the material required as soon as possible to enable him to do so."
Mr Stavis later told his assessment team via email it was "imperative" certain applications — including the two linked to the Chanines — were dealt with at the November IHAP meeting, "no excuses as commitments have been made".
A second planning consultant enlisted by the council eventually recommended the applications be approved with some conditions.
The IHAP rejected the applications.
Mr Buchanan said Mr Stavis received a "distinct threat" from Mr Azzi that if he did not "fix" part of the applications stalling the project, he would "suffer the same fate as had the former director".
He said Mr Montague had told Mr Stavis that Mr Azzi and Mr Hawatt had given former planning director Marcelo Occhiuzzi "such a hard time that he quit".
The development applications were later approved by the council.
Mr Buchanan said the inquiry would hear Mr Hawatt and Mr Azzi had a relationship with the Chanines that was "outside the ordinary course of dealings between councillors and applicants".
The hearing continues.
