Charles Perrottet accused of lying to NSW corruption watchdog over Jean Nassif dealings

The brother of former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet has been accused of lying to the state's corruption watchdog over his dealings with fugitive property developer Jean Nassif.

Charles Perrottet is giving evidence for a second day at a NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry, which is examining whether he used his Liberal Party connections to advance Mr Nassif's business interests.

The commission previously heard allegations that money from Mr Nassif's company, Toplace, was channelled through companies linked to Liberal Party figures before being distributed to Mr Perrottet and others.

It is alleged Mr Perrottet, and lobbyists Christian Ellis and Jeremy Greenwood expected to receive a combined $2 million from Mr Nassif.

Counsel assisting the commission, Peggy Dwyer SC, challenged Mr Perrottet on Monday over different explanations he had given the ICAC about messages he sent to Mr Nassif about Liberal Party preselection's.

Mr Perrottet told the public inquiry he mentioned preselection's to encourage Mr Nassif to pay money owed to Beckington, a lobbying firm run by Mr Ellis and Mr Greenwood — both of whom are key figures in the inquiry.

In a previous private hearing, Mr Perrottet said he was instead seeking a statutory declaration from Mr Nassif about alleged support for property developers in the Hills area.

Dr Dwyer accused Mr Perrottet of changing his story when confronted with the evidence.

Mr Perrottet rejected the accusation, saying both accounts could be true.

Dominic Perrottet, who referred the allegations to ICAC in 2022, is not accused of wrongdoing.

'Tying yourself in knots'

The commission also examined messages in which Charles Perrottet told Mr Nassif he would make calls and approach people about one of the developer's projects.

Mr Perrottet said the person he claimed to be contacting did not exist.

"Ultimately, I made it up," Mr Perrottet told the inquiry.

"At times I would add my own political flavour to it [messages for Mr Nassif] to keep him on side."

On Friday, Mr Perrottet said he wanted to appease Mr Nassif and would update him on Liberal Party affairs because he had an ulterior motive to seek some information from him.

Dr Dwyer accused Mr Perrottet of attempting to explain away messages that appeared to show him seeking money from the developer.

"Mr Perrottet, you are tying yourself in knots to get around obvious messages about you picking up money from Mr Nassif. Is that what's happening?"

Mr Perrottet said he disagreed with the suggestion.

'On board the money train'

The inquiry was also shown a message Mr Perrottet sent Mr Ellis in which he described an alleged system for developers to support the party faction while avoiding donation law restrictions.

Under NSW law, property developers and anyone donating on their behalf are prohibited from making political donations.

Mr Perrottet referred to it as the "money train," claiming developers could allegedly use cash or monthly government relations retainers instead of direct political donations.

Mr Perrottet claimed such retainers could be worth $50,000 per month.

Dr Dwyer then suggested Mr Perrottet wanted to establish a similar arrangement to benefit a Liberal Party right-wing faction.

"You wanted to get on board the money train, didn't you?" Dr Dwyer asked.

Mr Perrottet disagreed.

$148,000 cheque to Beckington

Mr Perrottet was also questioned about a meeting at the Longueville Hotel in Sydney's lower north shore involving Toplace lawyer Sharangan Maheswaran, Mr Greenwood and Mr Ellis.

He said he remembered a cheque being handed to one of his associates but initially said he did not know its value.

The commission then showed him a photograph taken on his phone the following morning of an envelope addressed to Beckington with $148,000 written on it.

Dr Dwyer questioned why he would photograph the cheque the next morning if it had already been handed over at the pub.

"You are correct, I'm obviously mistaken," Mr Perrottet suggested.

He later suggested he may have instead delivered the cheque to Mr Greenwood's home.

Mr Perrottet has told the inquiry he was gathering evidence about alleged political activity involving developers while also helping his Liberal allies pursue unpaid bills.

Work for Beckington

Mr Perrottet was also accused of tailoring his evidence about his involvement with Beckington and its work for Mr Nassif.

In a private hearing last year, he said he did not assist Beckington with its work on Toplace developments, describing his role as relationship management and giving occasional advice to keep the developer on side.

On Monday, he told the public inquiry he advised Mr Greenwood on how to help Mr Nassif, including recommending a fast-track approval process and membership of the Property Council.

He also said his wife Anita Perrottet received ongoing payments through her consultancy Macquarie Consulting, for advice he had provided.

Last week, the commission heard she was paid more than $660,000 over two-and-a-half years by companies linked to Mr Greenwood, working an average of 16 hours a week.

Dr Dwyer suggested Mr Perrottet was changing his evidence in response to the testimony of others, including his wife.

She said his earlier evidence "just doesn't fit" with the account he was now giving.

Mr Perrottet rejected the suggestion and said he did not believe his previous evidence was misleading.

'Joint criminal enterprise'

Mr Perrottet said Beckington was promised a 1 per cent share of profits from Mr Nassif's developments if it successfully secured fast-track approvals, and he believed payments to him were linked to that arrangement.

An initial invoice from Anita Perrottet's company sought $150,000 for a year's work, and a $30,000 sign-on fee, without mentioning Mr Perrottet's involvement.

Ms Perrottet told the ICAC the money she received was for her own consultancy work and that she had not worked on matters related to Mr Nassif's Toplace.

Mr Perrottet said some of the payments reflected advice he provided, despite his name not appearing on the invoices and him not paying income tax on that money.

He described the payments as "holistic" as it covered work or advice provided by both him and his wife.

Dr Dwyer: "Did it occur to you that Anita was, in effect, obtaining a benefit by deception in setting out the invoices in this way?"

Mr Perrottet: "No, no one was deceived."

Dr Dwyer: "Did it occur to you that you might be participating in a joint criminal enterprise?"

Mr Perrottet: "No."

Mr Perrottet will continue his evidence on Tuesday.