Charles Perrottet has repeatedly denied taking payments from the property developer Jean Nassif to achieve political outcomes for him, telling a corruption inquiry he cannot explain a message sent after a Nassif development was refused, which said: “Charles fucked this whole thing.”
Charles, the brother of former New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet, has previously told the Independent Commission Against Corruption he would lie to Nassif about doing political work for him. On Thursday, he said he may also have regularly lied to close friend Christian Ellis, who is named in Icac’s allegations. He rejected the accusation he was fabricating evidence to Icac.
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 Ellis received prohibited donations totalling $۲m from Nassif or his company Toplace between ۲۰۲۰ and ۲۰۲۳ in exchange for political outcomes, as well as the recruitment or renewal of members to the Liberal party, a practice known as branch stacking. Branch stacking is not itself illegal.
Ellis is overseas and has not responded to Icac, while Greenwood will appear before the commission next week.
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 ۲۰۲۰, 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 ۲۰۲۱, 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.
“Most certainly, but sometimes JN [Jean Nassif] gives into threats,” Maheswaran wrote back. Greenwood wrote that he wanted Nassif to understand that “yes, sure, we’re all friends, but Charles can’t keep exhausting the capital he has, which he gets on the back of other people’s work in the faction … while then having to make excuses because our agreements weren’t honoured”.
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”.
“No,” said Charles Perrottet.
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‘Meeting of the minds’
On Thursday, Charles Perrottet was asked about a ۲۰۲۰ meeting to discuss the recruitment of conservative right members amid a factional fight with centre-right Liberals to take over branches in the Hills shire. He said he supported the plan “to have more balance” in branches, but repeatedly rejected that Nassif was financially supporting branch stacking efforts.
The inquiry has previously heard Charles Perrottet created a group chat called “Back to Basics” in August ۲۰۲۰, adding his brothers Dominic and Jean-Claude Perrottet, Damien Tudehope, Ellis and two other conservative faction members.
“Gents, I believe it’s time for a WPH [West Pennant Hills] meeting of the minds. Lots has been going on, and some concerning developments this week in both the left and right has accelerated the need for us to get together and discuss,” he wrote. “This group share the same values.”
Charles Perrottet was asked about an agenda he shared with the group before the meeting at Tudehope’s West Pennant Hills home, including the item “Staffing support or new models to ensure progress and open discussion”. The day after the September ۲۰۲۰ meeting, Ellis provided an update to the group saying the “short-term goals” moving forward included “private clients for retainers for staff”.
Charles Perrottet rejected the suggestion that his first message was setting the agenda for a potential plan for private individuals to pay retainers to support branch stacking efforts, saying it “may have been a point of discussion that Christian wanted to raise at the meeting”.
The commission heard that the day after Ellis’s message, $۱۴۸,۵۰۰ was deposited via cheque from Toplace to Beckington. Charles Perrottet said the timing of the payment was a “coincidence”, “unless you speak to Christian [Ellis] and ask him”.
After Dwyer said that Ellis was in the UK and had chosen not to participate in hearings, Charles Perrottet said: “I’m aware. I’m not sure he hasn’t chosen to participate. I’m aware he’s in the UK. If you can’t ask him, I would ask Jeremy.”
Tudehope, who gave evidence to the inquiry in its second week, told the commission he could not recall the meeting or what the reference to private clients meant. 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 ۲۰۲۲, has withdrawn from an expected appearance via video link on Friday after providing Icac with a medical certificate. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Icac’s inquiry continues.
