Property developer claimed ‘the premier is my best friend’ in tapped phone call, Icac hears | Independent Commission Against Corruption

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 younger brother of the former premier, told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Thursday that claims made by property developer Jean Nassif in a phone call lawfully intercepted by police were “bravado” and “far-fetched”.

Dominic Perrottet is not named as a person of interest in Icac’s allegations and is not accused of any wrongdoing. Nassif, who fled Australia for Lebanon in 2022, has withdrawn from an expected video appearance on Friday after providing a medical certificate. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.

As part of its inquiry into alleged corruption in the NSW Liberals, Icac is investigating the allegation that conservative factional figures Charles Perrottet, Jeremy Greenwood and Christian Ellis received prohibited donations totalling $2m from Nassif or his company Toplace between 2020 and 2023 in exchange for political outcomes.

The outcomes included damage to the career of former NSW Liberal minister, David Elliott, who had 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 Icac’s allegations, while Greenwood will appear before the commission again next week. Charles Perrottet has repeatedly denied he accepted payments from Nassif in exchange for political outcomes.

On Thursday, the commission heard phone call between Nassif and a friend in which the developer claimed: “The premier is my best friend … They’re my friends and my boys”.

“I only started yesterday. You’re gonna be surprised soon, no jokes, no jokes. 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,” he said.

Charles Perrottet, who described a phone conversation between Nassif and his younger brother Jean-Claude Perrottet, in which the developer claimed he had “forced the boys” to get rid of the Liberal branch of Baulkham Hills in Elliott’s seat as “bravado”, said the October 2021 call was “even more far-fetched”.

On Tuesday, the commission heard about a May 2021 meeting between him and Nassif at the Nobu fine-dining restaurant in Melbourne’s Crown Casino. Afterwards, Charles Perrottet wrote he had told the told the developer “the best way to get the building commissioner off his back is to take the fight to Elliott and dismantle his infrastructure”, with the result that Elliott would “be on his knees”.

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

“I think it’s just bravado. He says he’s the premier’s best friend,” said Charles Perrottet.

The inquiry has previously heard that Charles Perrottet, who texted his wife Anita about a plan to remove Elliott from his ministry once the Perrottet government had formed – writing “we execute the prick once party room is over” – shared a secret phone recording in which Elliott could allegedly be heard criticising Dominic Perrottet.

On Thursday, the commission heard the recording, during which speaking was faintly audible beneath a loud, rhythmic sound, which Dwyer suggested was a “a heartbeat that suggests a recording device”. Charles Perrottet suggested it was a pocket dial, saying he did not recall having the recording until it was mentioned in evidence last week, or how he had obtained it.

The commission heard evidence that he passed it into another NSW Liberal MP and that Ellis shared it with a private investigator employed by Toplace in the hope of improving the audio quality.

‘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 the 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. The 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 the 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, who is named in a separate allegation, has previously denied any wrongdoing. He will appear before Icac next week.

Under repeated questioning from Dwyer, 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.