New South Wales Politician Denies Corruption Allegations in Icac Hearing > 월드뉴스

A brother of former New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet testified before the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) that he would mislead a property developer regarding political outcomes to maintain a favorable relationship. Charles Perrottet, who is implicated in allegations of anticipating $2 million in illegal political donations from developer Jean Nassif, denied the accusations during his testimony on Monday. He claimed he fabricated updates for Nassif while seeking payments for legitimate services rendered by the lobbying firm Beckington, which is linked to Christian Ellis and Jeremy Greenwood, also mentioned in the Icac allegations.

Perrottet, affiliated with the conservative faction of the NSW Liberals, stated he advised Nassif in hopes that the developer would provide a statutory declaration regarding claims that a rival faction was bypassing electoral funding laws that prohibit donations from property developers. Under questioning from counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC, he dismissed suggestions that his dealings with Nassif were akin to those he aimed to expose. Dwyer probed whether Perrottet promised Nassif political outcomes in exchange for funds, to which he responded that the issues were distinct. He maintained that the payments from Nassif were not political donations.

Dwyer highlighted a message from February 2020 in which Charles Perrottet discussed allegations against the rival faction, stating that Nassif had not provided a statutory declaration. Perrottet claimed he was not attempting to establish a similar arrangement to benefit his faction. Earlier in the hearing, he acknowledged sending a January 2021 message to Nassif summarizing his actions concerning three Toplace developments, in which he referred to a contact at the NSW Planning Delivery Unit (PDU). Perrottet later admitted to fabricating this contact, stating, “Ultimately, I made it up.” He revealed that he would mislead Nassif about his involvement in lobbying efforts, often embellishing details to keep the developer satisfied.