The handshake deal and the broken agreement: Former Strathfield mayor before ICAC

Fugitive developer Jean Nassif has attacked enemies including nemesis former MP David Elliott, denied making unlawful political donations and insisted his collapsed construction company Toplace routinely fixed defects in an appearance before a corruption inquiry from Beirut.

Nassif dialled in from his bedroom in Lebanon, where he vowed to “speak my heart” to the Independent Commission Against Corruption on whether he paid Liberal operatives for political outcomes, which included ending the parliamentary career of Elliott as well as having building commissioner David Chandler sacked.

He kicked off his evidence to the ICAC suggesting Elliott was a corrupt politician, racist and running a “legalised mafia operation in Baulkham Hills and Parramatta” before Nassif defended Toplace, claiming there was a “24/7 maintenance arm in the company to follow defects and fix them”. Toplace collapsed in 2023.

Nassif, who fled Australia in December 2022 and has avoided the spotlight, said he was unfairly treated by sections of the media and told the commission about his first meetings with “the boys”, the term he used to refer to political operatives Jeremy Greenwood and Christian Ellis, who ran the lobby firm Beckington, which Nassif contracted to help with government relations.

As part their services, Greenwood and Ellis promised to “ease off the media attack” against him and to correct “[radio broadcaster] Ray Hadley lying and talking bullshit without evidence”, Nassif told the commission.

He said “the boys” did not initially mention their friend and Liberal powerbroker Charles Perrottet until they brought him to a second meeting, and Nassif claimed he did not know any of the Perrottet brothers before then.

Nassif said the only reason Charles Perrottet came to a meeting with him was so he could introduce him to another developer, Rony Wardan. He said he stayed in touch with Perrottet and they became friends.

Perrottet would call him and ask him to pay his Beckington invoices, Nassif said, and Perrottet would say words to the effect of “the boys needed it for recruitment and for Liberal activities”.

Nassif, who is wanted on a string of serious fraud charges, said he felt if he did not pay “the boys” he would upset Charles Perrottet and would lose his friendship.

Charles Perrottet has previously given evidence to the commission that his political promises and advice to Nassif were mostly lies to encourage him to pay his mates at Beckington. Counsel assisting Dr Peggy Dwyer, SC, asked Nassif if he knew that Perrottet was lying to him.

The commission was played a phone tap that captured Nassif boasting in English and Arabic to an associate that he held “50 per cent of the power” of the then Coalition government after paying “a lot of money” to Greenwood and Ellis.

Dwyer said the commission’s staff had translated Nassif’s words, which she read onto the record.

“I hold 50 per cent of the power of this government now.