paper". In September 2002, The Sydney Morning Herald alleged that Obeid was one of NSW's richest members of parliament. Media reports claimed that Obeid had purchased a property in Clovelly for 875,000 in 1991 and the following day sold the property to the New South Wales Department of Housing for A$1.1 million. The Herald also claimed that two companies associated with Obeid have had debts of $AUD5 million written off by various banks. It was also alleged that the Obeid family trust secured a loan from the Colonial State Bank for A$18 million. The Herald also sourced an internal document from Macquarie Bank, claiming: These allegations arose at the same time as The Herald alleged that Obeid had attempted to solicit a A$1 million payment in return for promising NSW Government support for the Canterbury Bulldogs League Club's A$800 million Oasis housing development in south-western Sydney. As a result of these allegations, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) conducted an inquiry and found that there was no evidence that any donation was made to the Labor Party in relation to the project. The Commission made a finding that Obeid had never solicited a donation and cleared him of any wrongdoing. In the meantime, The Herald reports for a series of articles concerning Canterbury Bulldogs salary cap breaches and the above (false) allegations had won a Gold Walkley. Obeid commenced defamation action against Fairfax Media and in 2006 the Supreme Court found that Obeid had been defamed and that the media article had contributed to Obeid losing his job as a NSW minister. Obeid was awarded A$162,173 in damages, plus costs believed to have been more than A$1 million. Walkley Awards organisers later said the judging panel, "would not have awarded the prize if it had known the allegations against Mr Obeid would be found to be unsubstantiated". Obeid's family have property interests in Lebanon, Port Macquarie, Terrigal, Bylong Valley, Woolwich and Hunters Hill, and Concord (since sold); and business interests in live sheep exporting to Syria and Iraq, leases on cafes at Circular Quay, and the marina at . ICAC investigations Operations Jasper and Acacia In November 2012, the New South Wales ICAC began a series of investigative hearings relating to Obeid's alleged property and mining interests. This inquiry concerned, among other issues, the circumstances surrounding a decision made in 2008 by the then Minister for Primary Industries and Minister