Key facts
- Charles Perrottet denied to ICAC that he asked his brother, then-NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, to appoint a cabinet minister to achieve outcomes for developer Jean Nassif.
- Intercepted calls from Nassif suggested promises of ministerial changes and the removal of building commissioner David Chandler.
- Dominic Perrottet is not a person of interest in the ICAC inquiry and is not accused of wrongdoing.
- The ICAC is investigating allegations that Charles Perrottet and others received prohibited donations from Nassif in exchange for political outcomes.
- Charles Perrottet stated he did not discuss specific cabinet appointments with his brother, Dominic Perrottet.
Charles Perrottet has denied to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) that he asked his brother, then-NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, to appoint a cabinet minister to achieve outcomes for property developer Jean Nassif. The inquiry is investigating allegations that conservative factional figures, including Charles Perrottet, received prohibited donations totalling $2 million from Nassif or his company Toplace between 2020 and 2023 in exchange for political outcomes.
During testimony on Friday, Charles Perrottet addressed claims made in an intercepted phone call featuring Nassif, which occurred days before Dominic Perrottet became premier. In the call, Nassif described Dominic Perrottet as "my boy" and allegedly discussed promises that then-police minister David Elliott and then-fair trading minister Kevin Anderson would be removed. Nassif also allegedly stated his intention to "step on fucking David Chandler and get rid of him."
Dominic Perrottet is not a person of interest in the ICAC's inquiry and is not accused of any wrongdoing. Charles Perrottet told the commission that following his brother's accession as premier, he did not discuss the cabinet's makeup with him, though he recalled a conversation about the "balance of women in the cabinet" without naming individuals. He denied discussing Eleni Petinos, the former NSW fair trading minister, or putting her forward for that portfolio, stating his brother "would have made his own decisions."
Further intercepted calls played to the commission featured Nassif claiming he had "stripped" Elliott from his police ministry and that the "commissioner" (likely referring to Chandler) would be gone in a couple of weeks. Charles Perrottet dismissed these claims, stating, "You can't take this seriously." The inquiry has previously heard that Charles Perrottet had told Nassif that the best way to get the building commissioner off his back was to "take the fight to Elliott and dismantle his infrastructure."
Nassif, who has fled Australia, has previously denied any wrongdoing. Charles Perrottet has consistently denied taking payments from Nassif for political outcomes, asserting he would "lie" to the developer to chase payments for genuine lobbying work.