Nassif attacks enemies, defends developments from bedroom in Beirut

Fugitive developer Jean Nassif has attacked enemies, including nemesis former MP David Elliott, denied making unlawful political donations and insisted that his collapsed construction company, Toplace, routinely fixed defects in an appearance before a corruption inquiry from Beirut.

Nassif dialled in from his bedroom in Lebanon, where he vowed to “speak my heart” to the Independent Commission Against Corruption on whether he paid Liberal operatives for political outcomes, which included ending the parliamentary career of Elliott as well as having building commissioner David Chandler sacked.

Jean Nassif gives evidence from his Beirut bedroom.ICACHe kicked off his evidence to the ICAC by suggesting that Elliott was a corrupt politician, racist and running a “legalised mafia operation in Baulkham Hills and Parramatta” before defending Toplace, claiming there was a “24/7 maintenance arm in the company to follow defects and fix them”. Toplace collapsed in 2023.

Nassif, who fled Australia in December 2022 and has avoided the spotlight, said he was unfairly treated by sections of the media and told the commission about his first meetings with “the boys”, the term he used to refer to political operatives Jeremy Greenwood and Christian Ellis, who ran the lobby firm Beckington, which Nassif contracted to help with government relations.

As part of their services, Greenwood and Ellis promised to “ease off the media attack” against him and to correct “[radio broadcaster] Ray Hadley lying and talking bullshit without evidence”, Nassif told the commission.

He said that “the boys” did not initially mention their friend and Liberal powerbroker Charles Perrottet until they brought him to a second meeting, and Nassif also claimed that he did not know any of the Perrottet brothers before then.

Nassif said the only reason Charles Perrottet came to a meeting with him was so that he could introduce him to another developer, Rony Wardan. He said he stayed in touch with Perrottet and they became friends.

Perrottet would call him and ask him to pay his Beckington invoices, Nassif said, and Perrottet would say words to the effect of “the boys needed it for recruitment and for Liberal activities”.

Nassif, who is wanted on a string of serious fraud charges, said he felt that if he did not pay “the boys”, he would upset Charles Perrottet and would lose his friendship.

Charles Perrottet has previously given evidence to the commission that his political promises and advice to Nassif were mostly lies to encourage him to pay his mates at Beckington. Counsel assisting Dr Peggy Dwyer, SC, asked Nassif if he knew that Perrottet was lying to him.

“I knew that they were doing something like that. Yes,” Nassif said.

The commission was played a phone tap that captured Nassif boasting in English and Arabic to an associate that he held “50 per cent of the power” of the then Coalition government after paying “a lot of money” to Greenwood and Ellis.

Dwyer said the commission’s staff had translated Nassif’s words, which she read onto the record.

“I hold 50 per cent of the power of this government now. More, 51, 52 per cent,” Nassif told his associate.

“We won right wing, managed to win the right to vote and the right to elect all councils in NSW a couple of months ago with my support and only my support, so I went in and worked and paid a lot of money and I won and got myself the numbers for the executive committee for the Liberal Party.

“I was told to shuffle the government, get rid of the premier and the police commissioner, and that f---ing Kevin Anderson, and … the building commissioner. So I had done major work, and we were ready to reshuffle because I had the votes to take them out and overturn them and bring the right wing to power.”

Nassif told the commission that none of it was true.

In another phone tap played to the commission, he bragged to his associate about stacking Liberal branches in Castle Hill and banishing Elliott’s seat of Baulkham Hills, and said the Right faction of the party declared “Jean Nassif is our godfather”.

Nassif became agitated at times during the phone call, and it was not always clear to whom he was referring.

“I reshuffled the government every time I wanna flip … this f---ing slut premier, and him and Kevin Anderson and a few f---ing racist ministers, she shut the country,” Nassif said on the call, referring to then premier Gladys Berejiklian and former fair trading minister Anderson.

Dwyer asked Nassif if the call showed that Beckington had achieved the political outcomes he had been promised. Nassif said he was exaggerating some elements and was also relaying what he was being told by Beckington.

“I want to relay the message to David Elliott that he cannot destroy me. I’m still strong, and I will fight you,” Nassif told the public inquiry.

At one stage during his appearance, Dwyer interrupted to ask Nassif if he was receiving messages from anyone while he was giving evidence.

“Mr Nassif, do you have a telephone with you in the room … are you getting messages from somebody now in relation to anything at all?” Dwyer asked. Nassif insisted he was not.

Dwyer asked if he had spoken to his former employee, Sharangan Maheswaran, about the evidence Charles Perrottet gave. Nassif said he had exchanged messages with Maheswaran a few days ago, but only about trying to get legal representation.

Dwyer at one point asked if he was reading from a document.

ICAC Operation Rosny witness and former Strathfield mayor Matthew Blackmore during the Monday lunch break.Louie Douvis“No, I don’t have any document because … the police raided my home, my offices, and took all the evidence,” Nassif said. Nassif will return to the commission on Tuesday to continue giving evidence.

Earlier in the day, former Strathfield mayor Matthew Blackmore appeared to give evidence relating to allegations that Maheswaran, Nassif’s former lawyer, engaged in dishonest conduct, including blackmail or possible surveillance, when he was on the council with Blackmore.

Blackmore is not a person of interest in the inquiry, codenamed Operation Rosny. His evidence was paused to allow Nassif to appear but will also return to the commission on Tuesday.

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