in gaol, with a non-parole period of five years and three months. Obeid, Moses Obeid, and Macdonald, lodged an appeal against their conviction, expected to be heard in September 2022, later delayed to April 2023. Early years and background Obeid was born in the village of Matrite (sometimes called Metrit or Mitrit), a village in Northern Lebanon with a Maronite Catholic majority, in Lebanon. At age 6, he migrated to Australia with his family and they settled in Redfern, growing up in a terrace house. A dual LebaneseAustralian citizen, of Lebanese Maronite Catholic faith, Obeid was an altar boy, sold newspapers from a street corner, and collected deposits on soft drink bottles. Obeid married Judith in 1965, is now father of nine children and a grandfather of 31 grandchildren. At age 29 in 1972, Obeid joined the Labor Party. Prior to entering parliament, Obeid held a range of voluntary roles that included a Trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales (1980–1982), a part-time Commissioner of the Ethnic Affairs Commission (1981–1985), a vice-president of the Ethnic Press Association of Australia (1981–1986), a director of the Western Suburbs Hospital Board (sic) (1983–1986), on the Board of Governors of the Law Foundation of New South Wales (1985–1988), the lead of the Australian-Lebanese hostage negotiation mission to Iraq (December 1990), and was the patron of the Australian Lebanese Christian Federation. Political career Elected to the Legislative Council in 1991 to replace Jack Hallam, despite a brief carriage of junior ministerial responsibilities in the second Carr ministry, Obeid's main contribution to parliament has been through Committee representation and his ability to manipulate factional numbers and votes. At the time of his resignation from the Council, Obeid claimed that his most satisfying moment in politics was to assist in the passage of legislation to help building sub-contractors. His term in parliament, though, was dogged by controversy, including: 2002 Oasis redevelopment (see below) and subsequent investigation that cleared him of allegations of corrupt behaviour 2002 revelations that Obeid had failed to disclose all his business interests on Parliament's pecuniary interests register (see below) 2003 allegations that Obeid promised to secure the seat of Parramatta, and an early ministry for David Borger if he dumped the Left faction and joined the dominant Right Providing Dr Arthur Chesterfield-Evans, a member of the Australian Democrats, with a lift to Parliament House and using the opportunity to lobby Chesterfield-Evans