ICAC inquiry reveals Liberal Party factional dealings with developer Jean Nassif
Consensus Summary
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry has exposed alleged improper financial dealings between fugitive developer Jean Nassif and members of the NSW Liberal Party’s Reformers faction. Phone taps from June 2021 reveal Nassif offering $100,000 to support a preselection bid for a brother of former premier Dominic Perrottet, with Jean-Claude Perrottet acknowledging the conversation but dismissing it as a 'throwaway comment'. Both sources confirm Perrottet received payments totaling $105,000 ($25,000 in monthly installments of $5,000 and $80,000 directly from a prohibited donor) and worked at Medallion Finance from January 2020 to March 2023, where he managed Nassif’s investments. Perrottet also traveled to Fiji during the 2023 parliamentary inquiry, claiming he avoided it because he believed it was a 'sham'. SMH provides additional details, including Nassif’s alleged $2 million bribe offer to factional figures and explicit insults toward critics like David Elliott and David Chandler, while ABC focuses more on Perrottet’s dismissive tone and family support claims. The inquiry highlights broader concerns about factional influence and illegal donations within the NSW Liberal Party.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Jean Nassif offered $100,000 to support a preselection bid for a brother of former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet
- Jean-Claude Perrottet (Dominic Perrottet’s brother) discussed politics with Nassif in a June 2021 phone call
- Jean-Claude Perrottet worked at Medallion Finance from January 2020 to March 2023
- Jean-Claude Perrottet traveled to Fiji during the 2023 parliamentary inquiry into illegal donations
- Jean-Claude Perrottet claimed he went to Fiji because he believed the inquiry was a 'sham' and he was 'not in a good place'
- Jean-Claude Perrottet received $25,000 in monthly payments of $5,000 from a company linked to illegal donations
- Jean-Claude Perrottet received $80,000 directly from a prohibited donor (a millionaire businessman)
- Jean-Claude Perrottet was 29 years old during the ICAC inquiry
- Jean-Claude Perrottet was let go from Catholic Schools NSW in May this year (2023)
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Dominic Perrottet referred allegations to ICAC in 2022
- Jean-Claude Perrottet thanked Nassif for support of the 'family' during the phone call
- Jean-Claude Perrottet described the $100,000 offer as a 'throwaway comment'
- Jean-Claude Perrottet discussed potential investment opportunities before turning to politics in the June 2021 call
- Jean-Claude Perrottet mentioned 'help in that area would be awesome' regarding Castle Hill and Baulkham Hills factional issues
- Jean-Claude Perrottet was heard saying 'It's making a difference the work you're doing' to Nassif
- Jean Nassif boasted about getting 'the boys' to abolish a Liberal Party branch in David Elliott’s seat
- Jean Nassif called David Elliott a 'c---', 'the worst bulldog bully', and a 'lying piece of shit'
- Jean Nassif claimed he was promised that building commissioner David Chandler would be 'stopped or changed'
- Jean Nassif suggested a $2 million bribe to Jeremy Greenwood, Christian Ellis, and Charles Perrottet
- Jean-Claude Perrottet received payments with 'marketing' listed in the invoice description
- Jean-Claude Perrottet claimed he was not aware of NSW’s strict donation laws despite years in politics
- Jean-Claude Perrottet worked in Damien Tudehope’s office in 2018
- Jean-Claude Perrottet was managing investments for Nassif at Medallion Financial
- Jean-Claude Perrottet got married at the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Mosman in 2023
- Jean-Claude Perrottet described the past four years as 'pretty hectic'
- Jean-Claude Perrottet was promoted to head of communications at Catholic Schools NSW in May 2023
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states Jean-Claude Perrottet did not specify which brother Nassif was referring to, while SMH suggests Nassif was known to be in communication with Charles Perrottet
- ABC does not mention a $2 million bribe offer, while SMH explicitly states Jean Nassif suggested a $2 million bribe to Greenwood, Ellis, and Charles Perrottet
- ABC does not mention Jean Nassif’s explicit insults toward David Elliott and David Chandler, while SMH includes these quotes verbatim
- ABC does not mention Jean-Claude Perrottet’s employment at Damien Tudehope’s office in 2018, while SMH details this as part of his early political career
Source Articles
Phone taps at ICAC reveal developer's support for Perrottet brother
Phone taps played to a NSW corruption inquiry have revealed fugitive property developer Jean Nassif offered to support the Liberal preselection of one of former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet's brothers.
Jean-Claude Perrottet was eyeing the exit. Then came the tapes
Tapped phone calls should remind the public – and politicians seeking to undermine the ICAC’s work – of the grave nature of this latest probe.