Charles Perrottet, the younger brother of Dominic Perrottet, has denied asking his brother to appoint a cabinet minister to achieve outcomes for a property developer. He made the denial on Friday to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac).
Mr Perrottet told Icac that claims made by developer Jean Nassif in an intercepted phone call, days before Dominic Perrottet became NSW premier, did not reflect promises allegedly made to Nassif. In the call, Nassif reportedly described Dominic Perrottet as “my boy”. Dominic Perrottet is not a person of interest in the inquiry and is not accused of any wrongdoing.
Icac is investigating allegations that Charles Perrottet, Jeremy Greenwood, and Christian Ellis received prohibited donations totalling $2m from Nassif or his company Toplace between 2020 and 2023. These donations were allegedly in exchange for political outcomes, including damage to the career of former NSW Liberal minister David Elliott and the removal of former building commissioner David Chandler.
On Friday, the commission heard a police-intercepted phone call from 2 October 2021, in which Nassif allegedly told a relative, “This week is going to be the worst week of my life … because we’re reshuffling the government.” Nassif also claimed he had been promised the removal of then police minister Elliott and then fair trading minister Kevin Anderson.
Charles Perrottet denied discussing the makeup of his brother's cabinet with him after his accession as premier, though he later recalled a conversation about the balance of women in the cabinet without naming individuals. He also denied discussing Eleni Petinos, former NSW fair trading minister, or putting her forward for the fair trading portfolio.
Nassif, who fled Australia for Lebanon in 2022, withdrew from an expected video link appearance on Friday after providing a medical certificate. He has previously denied any wrongdoing. Jeremy Greenwood is scheduled to appear before the commission next week. Icac’s inquiry continues.