Fake Eddie Obeid Twitter account suspended

The brains behind the @HonEddieObeid account, which boasted just over 1500 followers before it was removed, had been posting the satirical tweets as recently as January 20.

The parody account featured a profile photo of the corrupt former state Labor minister outside the Independent Commission Against Corruption in Sydney. In an apparent violation of Twitter's rules, it also sported a doctored "blue tick" - a symbol used by the micro-blogging site to indicate it has verified the authenticity of an account.

The fake Eddie Obeid's enthusiasm for skewering himself, the Labor Party and state politics in 140-character missives made it clear it was not the work of the real McCoy. But Twitter users who pointed out the account was a parody were often met with a tongue-in-cheek denial.

A spokesman for Twitter Australia declined to comment on Wednesday. The micro-blogging site's rules say accounts may be suspended if they use the blue tick as part of profile photos or in a way that "falsely implies affiliation with Twitter".

It says that parody and commentary accounts are allowed but users "may not impersonate others ... in a manner that does or is intended to mislead, confuse, or deceive others".

"The bio should include a statement to distinguish it from the account subject, such as 'This is a parody'," Twitter says in its policy.

The social media site allows people to report impersonation accounts. But it says in its policies it does not take action on reports unless the complaint is made by "the individual being impersonated or someone legally authorised to act on his or her behalf".

Fairfax Media contacted Mr Obeid's solicitor for comment but did not receive a response.

Mr Obeid, 71, was charged in November with misconduct in public office after the ICAC found he corruptly lobbied a former maritime bureaucrat and others over cafe leases his family secretly owned at Circular Quay.

He appeared in court for the first time in December, where his legal team successfully fought the prosecution's attempts to make him surrender his passport. The case returns to court on February 19.

The ICAC has also recommended the Director of Public Prosecutions consider laying criminal charges against Mr Obeid over his involvement in a deal to create a lucrative coal tenement "smack bang" on top of his family's Bylong Valley farm.