Charles Perrottet has been accused of reshaping his evidence to explain his dealings with fugitive developer Jean Nassif, after admitting he invented political updates to keep the businessman engaged while pursuing unpaid bills for Liberal allies.
Perrottet, a former Liberal Party powerbroker and brother of ex-New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet, rejected suggestions that he was constructing his account at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
Counsel assisting the inquiry, Peggy Dwyer SC, challenged him over conflicting explanations about messages sent to Nassif and a meeting at the Longueville Hotel in Sydney in January 2021.
Perrottet initially said he believed a cheque had been handed to either Jeremy Greenwood or Christian Ellis at the pub, but said he did not know its value. He was then shown a photograph taken on his phone the following morning of an envelope addressed to their lobbying company, Beckington, with $148,000 written on it.
“You are correct, I’m obviously mistaken,” Perrottet said, later suggesting he might instead have delivered the cheque to Greenwood’s home.
Dwyer accused him of tailoring his evidence after he had previously told a private ICAC hearing that he had not assisted Beckington with work for Nassif’s construction company, Toplace.
In his latest evidence, Perrottet said he had advised Greenwood on ways to help Nassif, including joining the Property Council and seeking fast-track approvals for developments. He also acknowledged that messages to Nassif had sometimes contained information he had simply made up.
“Ultimately, I made it up,” Perrottet told the inquiry, referring to a supposed contact within the NSW Planning Delivery Unit. He said he added “political flavour” to some messages to keep Nassif on side and encourage him to settle money owed to Beckington.
Dwyer suggested the arrangement amounted to promising political assistance in return for funds. She also put to Perrottet that he wanted to join what he had described in a message to Ellis as the “money train” — a system in which developers could use cash or government-relations retainers to support political activity while avoiding restrictions on donations.
“You wanted to get on board the money train, didn’t you?” Dwyer asked. Perrottet disagreed and maintained that the payments he was pursuing were for genuine lobbying work, rather than political donations.
The commission is examining allegations that Nassif and Toplace, which were prohibited from making political donations under NSW law, provided or arranged funds for Perrottet, Greenwood and Ellis. It is also investigating whether money was sought in return for political outcomes, including efforts to damage the career of former minister David Elliott and remove NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler.
Perrottet said his wife, Anita, received payments through her consultancy, Macquarie Consulting, for advice he had provided to Greenwood in relation to Nassif. The payments were described as “holistic” because they covered work by both husband and wife.
Evidence before the inquiry indicates Anita Perrottet received $660,999 from companies linked to Greenwood over two and a half years. Perrottet said his name did not appear on the invoices and that he had not paid income tax on the money, but denied considering the arrangement deceptive or part of a joint criminal enterprise.
Dominic Perrottet, who referred allegations concerning Nassif to ICAC in 2022, has not been accused of wrongdoing and is not a person of interest in the investigation.
Perrottet is due to continue giving evidence on Tuesday. Nassif, who fled Australia for Lebanon in 2022 and denies wrongdoing, is expected to appear before the commission by video link from Beirut on Friday.
