The former General Manager of Seven Hills RSL has been disqualified from holding office in any registered club in New South Wales for five years. The penalty follows an investigation that uncovered years of undisclosed cash payments, gifts and conflicts of interest.
The investigation by Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) began after the regulator received a complaint alleging bribery and corruption involving Joseph Bayssari. The matter was subsequently referred to the NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA), which found he had engaged in systematic misconduct and acted dishonestly over a period of around four and a half years.
According to ILGA's findings, Bayssari received regular cash payments of AU$2,000 from a club contractor between 2018 and 2022, amounting to more than AU$280,000. The authority also found he accepted an additional AU$35,000 without a legitimate explanation and awarded catering contracts to his son's company without conducting an open or transparent tender process.
The original complaint also alleged Bayssari accepted free meals and other gifts, failed to disclose benefits received from a contractor, employed family members through the contractor and received financial assistance for renovations to his children's homes. Investigators concluded that the undisclosed payments and conflicts of interest represented serious governance failures that were contrary to the club's interests.
In addition to the five-year ban, ILGA imposed the maximum monetary penalty of AU$11,000 and ordered Bayssari to reimburse AU$7,811 in investigation costs.
The ruling follows another recent governance case involving registered clubs in New South Wales. Last month, former Erina Rugby League Football Club president James Savage was banned from serving as a club official for 12 months after ILGA found he failed to properly disclose conflicts of interest relating to building works carried out by companies he owned.
Regulators have also recently highlighted governance shortcomings surrounding the sale of property by Dalmacija Sydney Croatian Club.
L&GNSW said the latest decision reinforces the expectation that club officials must act in the best interests of members, with robust governance, procurement and conflict management processes remaining essential to maintaining public confidence in the sector.
Recent enforcement actions show NSW regulators are taking a tougher stance on governance failures and conflicts of interest within registered clubs
