ICAC Questions Charles Perrottet Over $2m Payments From Fugitive Developer Jean Nassif
- Charles Perrottet testified before the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Friday, August 28, 2026, admitting that he maintained contact with fugitive property developer Jean...
- Charles Perrottet told the ICAC that he humoured Mr Nassif during direct phone calls because he wanted to gather information regarding existing allegations.
- The hearing also featured testimony from Charles Perrottet's wife, Anita Perrottet, who spent her second day in the witness box defending payments made to her company, Macquarie Consulting.
Charles Perrottet testified before the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Friday, August 28, 2026, admitting that he maintained contact with fugitive property developer Jean Nassif to monitor political influence inside the Liberal Party. The inquiry centers on whether Mr Nassif made illegal donations to Liberal figures to advance his commercial interests and remove former building commissioner David Chandler.
Political Influence and Hidden Payments at ICAC
Charles Perrottet told the ICAC that he humoured Mr Nassif during direct phone calls because he wanted to gather information regarding existing allegations. Mr Perrottet stated, “I wanted to appease him. I humoured him at times because I had an ulterior motive to seek some information from him in regard to allegations that had been around.” He also acknowledged helping chase unpaid invoices and sharing internal Liberal Party updates, though he insisted his public party actions differed from his private conversations with the developer. The ongoing inquiry is examining whether Mr Nassif sought to protect his development projects—such as those managed by Toplace—by targeting political figures, including former minister David Elliott. Dominic Perrottet, Mr Elliott, and Mr Chandler are not accused of any wrongdoing in connection to the matter.
Scrutiny Over Company Payments and Greyhound Racing Records
The hearing also featured testimony from Charles Perrottet’s wife, Anita Perrottet, who spent her second day in the witness box defending payments made to her company, Macquarie Consulting. Counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC questioned Ms Perrottet over roughly $661,000 paid into her firm from Beckington and JPG Advisory across a two-and-a-half-year period, noting a lack of written work products. “That’s an enormous amount of money to be paid for circumstances where you cannot produce a scrap of evidence in relation to work done,” Peggy Dwyer SC told the inquiry. Ms Perrottet maintained that her advice was strictly verbal and that her business was genuine. However, proceedings grew tense when she was shown a March 2023 email sharing documents related to Greyhound Racing NSW with Jeremy Greenwood. Ms Perrottet stated she could not remember creating the documents, prompting Ms Dwyer to challenge the legitimacy of the communication before the inquiry adjourned for the weekend.