Former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale has contacted his former driver and offered to help him find work while asking him to recant allegations he used his mayoral car to visit brothels and massage parlours.
The driver, Steve Potts, has provided a witness statement to the Crime and Corruption Commission detailing a series of claims the former mayor abused his powers, misused council resources and visited premises suspected of being involved in illegal prostitution.
![Ex-Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale outside Brisbane Magistrates Court last month.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170802172411im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/v/g/1/6/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxmib1.png/1501487977784.jpg)
Mr Potts told Fairfax Media that Mr Pisasale had called him from a blocked number shortly after Brisbane Times published the allegations on Sunday night.
He had made notes of the conversation shortly afterwards.
Mr Potts said Mr Pisasale had told him "more or less that the story was wrong" and that he needed to "clarify" the situation with Fairfax Media.
"He said: 'They've taken advantage of you and you've said the wrong thing'. You've gotta tell them that working for Paul was an honour (and that) we were great mates," Mr Potts recalled.
"He said that my time was voluntary in return for me being allowed to take the (mayoral) car home.
"He mentioned his MS (multiple sclerosis) and that the visit to the brothel on the Gold Coast was 'because his shoulder had been playing up after playing golf with Johnson Lin'."
![Then-Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale (left) with driver Steve Potts.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170802172411im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/l/l/m/5/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxmib1.png/1501543527742.jpg)
Mr Potts said Mr Pisasale had alleged to him during the conversation that the story "had been timed to do the maximum damage" in case Mr Pisasale decided to run for mayor. Nominations for the Ipswich mayoral race close on Tuesday.
Mr Pisasale did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr Potts, who has been unemployed since he quit his job as a mayoral assistant in June 2016, said Mr Pisasale had asked him to change his story as well as offering to help him find a job during the conversation.
It is an offence in Queensland to interfere with a witness. Attempting to corrupt a witness by offering something in exchange for changing evidence or refusing to give testimony carries a jail term of up to seven years.
The former driver said he had had several subsequent missed calls from a blocked number and voicemail and text messages from Mr Pisasale.
Fairfax Media has heard a voicemail message left for Mr Potts by Mr Pisasale at 8.33pm on Sunday in which he is heard to say: "Yeah sorry Steve, I've just had an idea that might help you also with employment. Give us a call soon as you can on the mobile buddy. Bye."
Fairfax Media has also seen text messages allegedly sent by Mr Pisasale to Mr Potts late on Sunday night and early Monday morning.
One of them, sent at 5.22am on Monday, reads in part: "Steve call me re truth, and happy you tell ccc". A message from the previous evening reads: "Call you talk (sic), mate only want truth".
The messages are from a mobile phone number previously associated with Mr Pisasale.
Mr Potts said, prior to Sunday's conversation, he had last spoken to Mr Pisasale "at least six months ago".