‘I’m not corrupt’: developer’s furious tirade at probe
Sarah Spina-Matthews |
The fugitive developer at the centre of a corruption inquiry has launched an angry tirade against the commission and has threatened to stop giving evidence.
In his second day in the witness box, Jean Nassif, the former director of collapsed Sydney company Toplace, continued giving evidence by videolink from Beirut to the NSW Independent Commissioner Against Corruption.
He continued denying allegations he paid Liberal Party operatives for political outcomes benefiting his interests, including harming the reputation of former NSW Liberal minister David Elliott.
Mr Elliott, a public critic of Nassif’s developments, claimed he was pushed out of the party by a right-wing faction known as the Reformers before the 2023 election.
The inquiry on Monday was played recorded phone calls between Nassif and an associate, during which he bragged about being responsible for Mr Elliott’s former seat being abolished.
He also claimed he owned more than half the state government and was considered the “godfather” of the Reformers.
Nassif admitted on Tuesday he paid members of the faction, namely lobbyists Jeremy Greenwood and Christian Ellis, to help him get approval on two of his developments.
Nassif was asked by counsel assisting the commissioner Peggy Dwyer SC about messages between the trio, who Nassif referred to as “the boys”.
In the messages, Mr Ellis and Mr Greenwood angrily discussed how the payments from Nassif had dried up, and said they could find someone else to fund the faction.
Nassif repeatedly shouted over the top of Dr Dwyer while she was questioning him.
“Stop f***ing putting the (wrong) words … in my mouth,” Nassif shouted.
“This is a public hearing, and I know what you’re doing. You want to show the public that I am corrupt. I’m not corrupt.
“You want the country to be ruled by crooks, and I … will not go to anyone except God and my parents.”
His lengthy rant was interrupted at one point by Dr Dwyer saying: “Please don’t yell at me.”
Commissioner Fabian Gleeson SC then stepped in, telling Nassif it was not for him to attack other people.
Nassif then began yelling over the commissioner, before threatening to stop giving evidence.
He temporarily calmed down before being asked about former NSW building commissioner David Chandler.
Mr Chandler was appointed to the role in 2019 as part of an urgent intervention when major defects were found in two Sydney developments.
He had told the commission he believes he was pushed out of the role by the Reformers.
Nassif accused Mr Chandler, who halted work on one of Toplace’s developments over defect concerns, of being a “racist dictator”.
“I said to him: You’re not a dictator. I will not obey anyone but God. You cannot talk to me like this,” Nassif said.
He was also asked about evidence Mr Elliott gave to the commission.
Mr Elliott alleged Nassif’s employee Sharangan Maheswaran had engaged a private investigator to follow the former police commissioner, and that Nassif had a “shit sheet” of damaging material that he intended to leak to the media.
Nassif denied the allegations.
He is giving evidence voluntarily after reportedly fleeing from Sydney to Lebanon in 2022, and is wanted by NSW Police over fraud allegations.
AAP