Key facts
- Anita Perrottet denied lying under oath to protect her husband, Charles Perrottet, during an Icac inquiry.
- She stated that hundreds of thousands of dollars paid to her were for strategic and marketing advice.
- The inquiry is investigating alleged illegal political donations to individuals associated with the NSW Liberals.
- Counsel suggested Anita Perrottet acted as a 'conduit' for payments equivalent to her husband's alleged share of funds.
- She stated any invoice changes made by her husband were at her instruction.
Anita Perrottet, wife of Charles Perrottet and sister-in-law to NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, has denied lying under oath to protect her husband amid an inquiry into alleged illegal political donations. Testifying before the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac), she stated that hundreds of thousands of dollars paid to her were for strategic and marketing advice, including creating websites and providing verbal advice on issues like preventing minors from vaping.
The Icac is investigating whether Christian Ellis, Jeremy Greenwood, and Charles Perrottet received prohibited political donations from fugitive property developer Jean Nassif and his company Toplace between 2020 and 2023. Counsel assisting the inquiry, Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, suggested that Anita Perrottet acted as a 'conduit' for payments totaling $661,000, which allegedly equaled her husband's share of the funds. She rejected the suggestion that she was put in an 'impossible situation' and asked to lie under oath.
Perrottet stated that any invoices made or changed by her husband would have been at her instruction. She could recall only one client from her time at Beckington, for which she was paid as much as $333,500. For a single quarter in January 2022, she was paid almost $255,000 by JPG Advisory for verbal advice alone. She denied that invoices were drawn up to fabricate numbers for her husband, stating her research on vaping included looking at UK and US models.
She also stated she had no knowledge of a $150,000 payment from Jean Nassif to JPG Advisory around the time she received substantial payments. Perrottet denied her husband's role as a 'muscle' or 'power broker' in a political faction. Charles Perrottet, who is on leave from his role at BP, is scheduled to appear before the commission. Dominic Perrottet is not named as a person of interest in the allegations.