Eddie Obeid's family grilled over Circular Quay cash profits

Now Eddie Obeid's family has been hauled into court to answer questions about the cash profits from two harbourside cafes at the centre of the trial.

The former NSW Labor minister's wife of 51 years, Judith Obeid, appeared in the witness box in the Supreme Court in Sydney on Monday to give evidence about how the money was spent.

Asked who was running the cafes, Mrs Obeid insisted she "really had no knowledge of my sons' business whatsoever".

"I have a large family. My dedication was to my nine married children and 33 grandchildren," she said.

"I am a hands-on mother and hands-on grandmother. I had no time whatsoever to get involved. That's the honest truth."

Mrs Obeid, who gave her occupation as "home duties", agreed she was given $1000 in cash a week from the takings of the businesses and spent it on items "for the home and for the family".

"Not to my knowledge," she replied when asked if she had her own bank account.

Circular Quay Restaurants, an Obeid front company that operated the cafes, went into liquidation in 2014 owing taxpayers almost $1 million in unpaid rent and other costs.

The company's liquidator asked members of the Obeid family to appear in court to shed light on who was running the businesses and how its profits were distributed.

The Obeids' barrister, David Weinberger, repeatedly objected to questions about whether Eddie Obeid also received weekly cash payments.

"Never," Mrs Obeid replied when asked directly if her husband was given any money from Circular Quay Restaurants.

She was then shown spreadsheets which appeared to detail payments from the cafes to "Dad".

"Who in the family is referred to as dad?" the lawyer for the liquidator, Jim Harrowell, asked.

"I presume my husband," Mrs Obeid said.

When Mr Harrowell asked Mrs Obeid to read aloud the word "Dad" next to figures on the spreadsheet, Mr Weinberger interjected: "It's not a spelling test, we can all read the document."

One of Mrs Obeid's cousins, Paul Maroon, was next in the box.

Obeid's first criminal trial was aborted after Mr Maroon, who was the book keeper for the cafes, volunteered damning financial records showing payments from the cafes being made to "Dad".

The evidence had never before come to light and undermined the defence case that Obeid had not received any direct financial benefit from the cafes.

Obeid was subsequently jailed for a maximum of five years for misconduct in public office.

Mr Harrowell asked Mr Maroon if he remembered emailing Obeid's defence lawyers, Tim Breene and Nick Di Girolamo, and "apologising for the records you had located".

He asked Mr Maroon to read the email aloud, prompting Mr Maroon to say: "All of it? Including the swear word? To what effect, why?"

Mr Harrowell pressed, "what were you apologising for in that sentence? The monumental 'expletive' thing you had done?"

Asked if he was apologising for finding records which showed where the money had gone, Mr Maroon said it was "over a year ago" and he could not recall.

"I'm not blessed with a good memory like you," Mr Maroon said.

He said epilepsy and cancer medication had affected his memory and "I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday".