Anita Perrottet, sister-in-law of Dominic Perrottet and wife of Charles Perrottet, has denied suggestions she lied under oath to conceal illegal donations to her husband. Appearing before the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Wednesday, she stated that payments totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars were for "strategic and marketing advice."
Icac is investigating whether Charles Perrottet, Christian Ellis, and Jeremy Greenwood received prohibited political donations from property developer Jean Nassif and his company Toplace between 2020 and 2023. Counsel assisting, Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, suggested that Anita Perrottet acted as a "conduit" for payments totalling $661,000, which allegedly matched her husband's share of the funds.
Anita Perrottet, who was the sole director and shareholder of Macquarie Consulting, said she provided verbal advice to Beckington and JPG Advisory. She recalled advising on creating websites and strategies for clients, including Greyhound Racing NSW and the state's Catholic Cemeteries board. She rejected the suggestion that invoices were created to account for funds intended for her husband.
Dominic Perrottet is not named as a person of interest in Icac's allegations, and no allegations have been made against him. Charles Perrottet, who has taken a leave of absence from his role at BP, is scheduled to appear before the inquiry on Friday and has previously denied any wrongdoing.