Nsw prosecution aligns against labor officials in minns election fund scandal

Two high-ranking New South Wales Labor officials now face criminal charges for allegedly funneling illegal donations to the 2014 election campaign of current Premier Chris Minns.

Former mp ernest wong and restaurateur jonathan yee under fire for circumventing election funding laws.

Australia's Electoral Commission launched the investigation in 2019, prompted by findings in the Independent Commission Against Corruption's Operation Aero inquiry.

According to the commission's statement, between October 2014 and August 2015, Yee and Wong engaged in a scheme to breach Part 6 of the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981, which prohibits certain electoral donations.

The alleged scheme was uncovered during the ICAC inquiry into illegal political donations made by Chinese property developer Huang Xiangmo. Wong was found to have concealed illegal donations, including a $10,000 contribution to Minns' campaign.

Minns himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing and maintained that the donations were received in good faith, later repaid.

The NSW parliament held a hearing Tuesday investigating donations to the Kogarah campaign during 2014-2016, at which Electoral Commissioner Rachel McCallum stated that Yee and Wong are the only two individuals referred for prosecution, with no active lines of inquiry remaining.