Ashlyn Nassif, daughter of fugitive property developer Jean Nassif, pleaded guilty in June to providing false or misleading information to obtain a $150m construction loan from Westpac. The loan was used to build three apartment towers in Sydney's north-west in 2021, a Sydney court heard.
On Monday, her lawyer, Murugan Thangaraj SC, argued that her father played a part in the offence, stating that Ms Nassif "succumbed to the pressure of her father." Mr Thangaraj told Burwood local court that Jean Nassif had previously told his daughter he was "desperate" for the loan.
Jean Nassif, now 58, fled Australia for rural Lebanon in 2022 and is being pursued by NSW police following a two-year fraud investigation. An arrest warrant has been issued for him, and 57 companies linked with his failed construction firm Toplace are in administration. The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) is also investigating allegations that NSW Liberal powerbrokers received a $2m payment from Jean Nassif.