Silk tie and sharp tongue: David Elliott’s take-no-prisoners ICAC appearance

Marching down Elizabeth Street, his silk regimental tie from Duntroon military college tucked neatly into his charcoal suit, former army officer and ex-Liberal minister David Elliott presented a stark contrast to the parade of reluctant witnesses who have arrived at the ICAC over the past month.

“Justice will prevail!” he said enthusiastically to the cameras before catching the lift to the 7th floor of the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s hearing room.

David Andrew Elliott, who had eight portfolios during his time in parliament, declined the offer of a “Section 38” declaration, which effectively ensures the evidence you give before the ICAC can’t be used against you in future proceedings, unless you are caught lying.

Elliott was taken through the role played by fugitive property developer Jean Nassif, along with members of the Opus Dei “religious right” as Elliot described them, in attempting to topple him.

Nassif felt that Elliott, as the local member, was blocking his developments.

Nassif, who is wanted for serious fraud charges, fled to Lebanon in December 2022 on the eve of a NSW parliamentary inquiry examining similar matters to the ICAC inquiry.

Several months later, Toplace, Nassif’s development and construction company, collapsed with debts of around $1.6 billion.

The commission heard that on two occasions, Nassif confronted Elliott – once in Elliott’s local shopping centre and once in a Parramatta pub. He also left a threat on his phone and hired a private investigator to spy on Elliott.

“He was the Maxwell Smart of the private investigators,” Elliott said of the efforts of Nassif’s private eye Shane De Kauwe.

“Missed it by that much,” accompanied by his thumb and forefinger close together, was the famous catch phrase of the hapless fictional television detective upon failing yet another assignment.

It seemed Nassif’s PI also missed it by that much, having targeted the wrong house and the wrong car, according to Elliott.

The former army officer took every chance to fire off shots at those whom he felt had wronged him. The Perrottet brothers were the prime target.

One of the allegations the commission is investigating is whether Nassif, a prohibited donor, funnelled money to right-wing Liberal operatives Christian Ellis, Jeremy Greenwood and Charles Perrottet, brother of former premier Dominic Perrottet.

In return, Nassif wanted people such as Elliott and then-building commissioner David Chandler out of the way and for public officials more amenable to his developments to be appointed to positions of power.