A corruption investigation into the activities of former Awabakal Aboriginal Land Council board members remains on hold almost three years after it commenced.
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The ICAC's Operation Skyline is investigating whether a series of deals to sell off parcels of the council's land to developers in 2014 and 2016 was a "ruse" to benefit former board members Richard Green and Debbie Dates.
The commission last heard public evidence in November 2019.
The inquiry's progress has been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other high-profile cases such as those involving Premier Gladys Berejiklian and former MP Daryl Maguire.
The ongoing delays have meant the inquiry is now among the longest in the commission's history.
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The Newcastle Herald understands that new Counsel Assisting has been appointed to Operation Skyline.
An ICAC spokeswoman confirmed the inquiry remains adjourned.
"There is no further information at this stage, but the Commission will be announcing future programming of the matter on a date to be determined," she said.
Among the persons of interest to the inquiry is disgraced former assistant tax commissioner Nick Petroulias.
The commission has previously heard that Mr Petroulias played a "central role" in the sale of $30million worth of Awabakal land.
Several delays to the inquiry had previously resulted from Mr Petroulias having raised issues about his mental health.
He also made a 22-page application to the commission in early 2019 to have the proceedings discontinued.
Among other complaints he alleged the commission had denied him procedural fairness and that certain commercial negotiations that formed part of the investigation were beyond ICAC's jurisdiction.
Commissioner Peter Hall QC rejected the Petroulias's application.
The commission heard evidence in August 2018 that former Awabakal Local Aboriginal Land Council chairwoman Debbie Dates signed dozens of legal documents relating to the sale of millions of dollars worth of land council-owned land around Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.
Ms Dates said she believed the land sales would be endorsed by land council members at a later date.
"I had a lot of trust. They (Petroulias) asked me to sign something and I signed it," Ms Dates said.
Ms Dates said she believed Mr Petroulias, who she thought was a solicitor, had the land council's best interests at heart when he asked for her signature on a raft of documents.
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