A sacked Transport for NSW official at the centre of a kickback scandal has repeatedly insisted that he did not seek to take work away from a contractor after their dealings soured, despite an anti-corruption inquiry being shown a text message exchange in which he told a workmate to “f--- them bitches”.

In his fourth day in the witness box, Ibrahim Helmy, 38, was questioned again about the dealings he had with contractor Direct Traffic, which involved him receiving gift cards and cash in return for it being awarded work for the agency.

The inquiry was played audio of an intercepted phone conversation between Helmy and Direct Traffic director Mechelina “Louisa” Van Der Ende-Plakke on June 28, 2021, when NSW was in the midst of lockdowns to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the 18-minute pho

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