Developer Claims Premier is His ‘Best Friend’ in Secret Recording, ICAC Hears

A property developer who allegedly made prohibited donations to support factional Liberal work claimed “the premier is my best friend” in a secretly recorded phone call the day after Dominic Perrottet was chosen as New South Wales premier, an inquiry has heard.

Charles Perrottet, the former premier’s younger brother, told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) that comments made by developer Jean Nassif in a police‑intercepted call were “bravado” and “far‑fetched”.

Dominic Perrottet is not a person of interest in the ICAC allegations and faces no accusations of wrongdoing. Nassif, who fled Australia for Lebanon in 2022, has withdrawn from an expected video appearance after providing a medical certificate and denies any misconduct.

ICAC is investigating allegations that conservative factional figures Charles Perrottet, Jeremy Greenwood and Christian Ellis received prohibited donations totalling $2 million from Nassif or his company Toplace between 2020 and 2023 in exchange for political outcomes.

The desired outcomes included damage to former NSW Liberal minister David Elliott, who opposed Nassif’s developments, and the removal of former building commissioner David Chandler, who was scrutinising defects in Toplace apartments.

Ellis is overseas and has not responded to the allegations, while Greenwood is scheduled to appear before the commission again next week. Charles Perrottet repeatedly denies accepting payments from Nassif in return for political favours.

On Thursday the commission heard a phone conversation in which Nassif said: “The premier is my best friend … They’re my friends and my boys… I’ve got my hand on the state government, and you’re gonna see changes… You’re gonna see DA approvals for me, like every second week, one DA approved.”

Charles Perrottet, describing the conversation with Nassif and his younger brother Jean‑Claude Perrottet, dismissed the October 2021 remarks as “bravado” and “far‑fetched”.

The inquiry also heard about a May 2021 meeting at the Nobu restaurant in Melbourne’s Crown Casino. After the meeting, Charles Perrottet wrote that he told Nassif “the best way to get the building commissioner off his back is to take the fight to Elliott and dismantle his infrastructure”, predicting Elliott would “be on his knees”.

Counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer SC, suggested that the Nobu dinner made it “little wonder … that Jean Nassif thought he had the right [faction] in his pocket immediately after your brother got the premiership.”

Charles Perrottet called Nassif’s claim that he was the premier’s best friend “just bravado”.

The inquiry has previously heard that Charles Perrottet, who texted his wife about removing Elliott from his ministry once the Perrottet government formed – writing “we execute the prick once party room is over” – shared a secret recording allegedly containing Elliott criticising Dominic Perrottet.

On Thursday the commission heard the recording, which includes a faint “heartbeat” sound. Charles Perrottet suggested it was a pocket‑dial and that he did not recall having the recording until it was mentioned in evidence last week.

He told the commission that he passed the recording to another NSW Liberal MP and that Ellis shared it with a private investigator employed by Toplace in an attempt to improve the audio.

‘Charles fucked this whole thing’

Charles Perrottet has previously said he would regularly mislead Nassif, adding a “political flavour” to advice in order to chase up payments for genuine lobbying work by Beckington, a company controlled by Ellis and Greenwood.

On Thursday the commission heard an exchange sent by Greenwood to Ellis in April 2020, expressing concern about losing Toplace as a client when Nassif’s Cherrybrook development proposal was refused after Hills shire council did not support it. Charles Perrottet said he did not know what the message – in which Greenwood wrote “Charles fucked this whole thing” – meant.

He was asked about a subsequent exchange between him and Ellis in which he detailed steps to assist with Toplace developments, including a call he wrote he would make to the NSW Liberal MP and former Hills shire councillor Robyn Preston.

On Thursday, Charles Perrottet said he could not recall calling Preston. Counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer SC, asked if he would “regularly lie to Christian Ellis at that time to tell him you were doing some things and not others?” “I may have,” said Charles Perrottet, suggesting it might have been “to sound supportive”.

Dwyer, noting he had also said he would lie to Nassif, suggested that “actually the fabrication is the evidence you’re giving to the commission because you want to make it sound like you didn’t take the active steps that are clearly set out in this text”.

“No,” said Charles Perrottet.

Later, he was asked about a message from Greenwood to Toplace executive Sharangan Maheswaran, also named in ICAC’s allegations, in 2021, asking for payment from Nassif, or “Charles is just going to cut the relationship”. After Maheswaran offered to pass on the message, Greenwood expressed concern that Nassif might see it as a threat.

Maheswaran, named in a separate allegation, has previously denied wrongdoing and will appear before ICAC next week.

Under repeated questioning, Charles Perrottet rejected the suggestion it was “clear as day … that Mr Greenwood shared your view, as expressed to Jean Nassif, that he had to hand over the money in order to achieve the political outcomes”.

ICAC’s inquiry continues.

Source link