The man behind alleged Liberal slush fund EightByFive has been accused of "lying through (his) teeth" during a grilling before the NSW corruption watchdog.
Tim Koelma says his company billed a number of firms, including one with links to former coal mogul Nathan Tinkler, for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of media relations and strategic advice.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is investigating allegations the company was a "sham" outfit, set up by Mr Koelma and one-time boss and former NSW minister Chris Hartcher, to enable banned political donors to secretly fund the 2011 election campaigns of NSW Liberal MPs.
Mr Koelma has told the commission it was Mr Hartcher who introduced him to Darren Williams - an executive at the Tinkler-linked development firm Buildev - and Mr Williams decided to put EightByFive on retainer.
But he said on Tuesday he was unsure whether his client was Mr Williams or the Tinkler Group.
And in private evidence he claimed his client had been yet another firm, Mr Tinkler's horse stud Patinack Farm.
"I didn't understand that there was a huge difference between entities in that group," Mr Koelma said.
"Did you think the horses were developing properties, did you?" counsel assisting Geoffrey Watson SC said.
"I was going to let you tell you story but I really can't resist it now. You're lying through your teeth."
Mr Koelma replied: "I'm really not."
He was unable to point to written evidence of work he had carried out for clients, including former federal political hopeful Matthew Lusted, who has told the inquiry he never met or spoke to Mr Koelma.
"No, I don't have documentary evidence to prove my innocence," Mr Koelma said.
Mr Koelma said he gave $5000 worth of advice to Mr Lusted over the phone.
Mr Watson asked pointedly whether documents that might support Mr Koelma's evidence had been lost in "the great flood of 2011", a reference to Mr Koelma's evidence during a previous ICAC inquiry that he had lost crucial papers when his garage flooded.
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