The pursuit of a former Transport for NSW official, Ibrahim Helmy, has reached a fever pitch. Accused of receiving $11.5 million in kickbacks from contractors for work on the state’s roads, Helmy is on the run, leaving behind a trail of corruption and deceit.
The Allegations
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is leading the investigation into allegations that Helmy, who worked for the government agency for about 14 years, was the mastermind behind corrupt relationships with companies that were paid at least $343 million in contracts.
- Allegations of corrupt relationships with companies, including Protection Barriers, that received $343 million in contracts
- Receiving $11.5 million in kickbacks from contractors
- Failure to answer summons to appear before ICAC
The inquiry has heard that Helmy failed to answer his summons to appear before ICAC in May, and remains the subject of an arrest warrant. His family has not reported him missing, and a family member has stated that he “took the rubbish out on a Sunday night and did not return”.
The Investigation
The ICAC has been investigating allegations of corruption involving Helmy and companies that received contracts from Transport for NSW. The investigation has uncovered evidence of a wide range of corrupt practices, including ensuring that Protection Barriers was the preferred contractor and approving the payment of falsely inflated invoices.
| Company | Contract Amount | Payment Method |
| Protection Barriers | $100 million | Cash, Gold Bullion, and Cryptocurrency |
| Grafton | $227,000 | Cash |
The investigation has also revealed that Protection Barriers, one of the companies subject to the investigation, was awarded about $100 million of work by Transport for NSW between 2020 and 2024.
The Evidence
The ICAC has seized evidence of Helmy’s corrupt activities, including:
* Nine 100-gram gold bullion bars, five one-ounce gold bullion bars, three red bags containing 20 one-ounce gold bullion nuggets, and $12,317 in cash from Helmy’s home
* $413,000 worth of cryptocurrency held by Helmy
* The equivalent of $8 million in cryptocurrency in a Binance account in the name of his sister
* A Maserati he purchased
* Multiple properties owned by Jason Chellew and his wife Meshel and their related entities worth more than $41 million
The Response
Jason Chellew, the founder of Protection Barriers, has testified that he was approached by Helmy in about April or May 2020 to discuss getting more work. Chellew stated that Helmy proposed “jobs for kickbacks”, and that he handed over cash and cryptocurrency to Helmy in exchange for the work.
“I was asked by Helmy in about April or May 2020 to come to see him about getting more work, and the Transport for NSW staffer proposed ‘jobs for kickbacks’. I handed over cash and cryptocurrency to Helmy in exchange for the work.”
— Jason Chellew, Founder of Protection Barriers
Chellew stated that the amounts he handed over to Helmy started as $10,000 or $20,000 bundles of cash, and that he often struggled to keep making payments to Helmy because of the amount of work.
The Consequences
The investigation has serious consequences for Helmy and those involved in the corrupt activities. The ICAC has been working to locate Helmy, and active steps are being taken to bring him to justice. The investigation has also led to the seizure of assets and properties from Chellew and his wife, including a 2023 Lexus car worth about $160,000 and two 2024 Bentleys each worth about $500,000. In response to the allegations, Chellew stated that he thought the arrangement was “just a little operation” at first, but that it became “craziness” as the amount of work with Transport for NSW increased. The investigation into Helmy’s corrupt activities is ongoing, and it is expected to have far-reaching consequences for those involved.
