‘It’s how Jean does business’: fugitive developer left Jeremy Greenwood ‘high and dry’, Icac hears
A Liberal factional figure has been left “high and dry” by fugitive property developer Jean Nassif, but did not chase him for payments because “it’s how Jean does business”, New South Wales’ anti-corruption watchdog has heard.
Jeremy Greenwood returned to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Wednesday after Nassif made an explosive video appearance from his Beirut bedroom on Monday and Tuesday. Nassif declared he was “not corrupt”.
Icac is investigating an allegation that Greenwood, Charles Perrottet and Christian Ellis shared in $2m in payments between 2020 and 2023 from Nassif, or his company Toplace, in exchange for political outcomes.
Greenwood and Perrottet have said payments were for genuine lobbying work by Beckington, controlled by Greenwood and Ellis, and JPG Advisory, controlled by Greenwood. Greenwood has previously described an agreement, which he said was written on a purple-pink piece of paper, under which they would be paid $1m for each Toplace development they could get fast-tracked.
On Wednesday afternoon, Greenwood denied that invoices purportedly “in arrears” of almost $1m sent in a single day by Beckington to Toplace in September 2021, were “bogus accounts to cover up the scheme where Nassif is paying large amounts of money [in political donations]”.
“There’s no scheme,” he said. Greenwood, who told the commission he did not believe Beckington received all the money owed to it by Toplace before it began to pay JPG Advisory in 2022, was asked why he had not followed this up with Nassif.
“You’ve met him now,” said Greenwood. “It’s how Jean does business.”
Greenwood has told the inquiry he is a creditor of Toplace, which collapsed in 2023 owing more than $1bn after Nassif fled for Lebanon in late 2022. On Wednesday, the commission heard that Christian Ellis was also a creditor and had publicly lodged that Beckington was owed $1.4m by Toplace for consultancy work between 2019 and 2021.
Greenwood, who has admitted to being in contact with Ellis during the inquiry, was asked if he had discussed with him “the proposition you were owed over $1m” by Nassif.
“I mean we’ve certainly discussed the fact that Jean, we believe, left us high and dry,” he said.
Counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer SC put it to him that it “is not something that you would want to openly disclose, the consultancy work you did with Jean Nassif”. Greenwood said he had “no issue disclosing that I worked for Toplace”.
On Wednesday morning, Greenwood was asked about his previous evidence on advice he said Anita Perrottet, sister-in-law of the former premier, gave to lobbying firms Beckington, controlled by Greenwood and Ellis, and JPG Advisory, controlled by Greenwood.
Dwyer has alleged invoices of $660,999 paid to Anita Perrottet’s company, Macquarie Consulting, over two and a half years were her husband, Charles Perrottet’s, share of the money from Nassif.
Anita Perrottet has told the watchdog payments were for “strategic and marketing advice” she provided; while Charles Perrottet has said they were “holistic” payments covering his advice to Nassif on his developments as well as his wife’s work.
Greenwood has previously told the commission Anita’s advice, for which the commission has no written evidence, provided a “mum’s perspective”. He said after first being contracted by Beckington in 2020, she may have come up with the term “zero unnecessary euthanasia” for greyhounds, and given advice about discouraging minors from vaping, including removing flavours such as bubble gum, as well as black market regulation.
On Wednesday, Dwyer took Greenwood to 2017 recommendations by the NSW greyhound industry reform panel, which included the phrase “zero unnecessary euthanasia”, suggesting to Greenwood he had “outsmarted [him]self by coming up with that false evidence when it’s clearly a term used in a document years earlier”.
“I disagree,” Greenwood replied. Dwyer showed Greenwood a submission by Philip Morris to a 2020 Senate inquiry which referenced measures to regulate the illicit tobacco trade and a 2019 report committing to applying guidelines to prevent youth access to vapes.
Greenwood said he had read the submission by Philip Morris, a client of his, but rejected Dwyer’s suggestion it “makes a mockery” of his evidence about Anita Perrottet’s advice.
After Dwyer asked him how old Anita Perrottet’s children were at the time she provided advice on vaping, Greenwood said he did not know, and did not think it was relevant.
after newsletter promotion
The presiding commissioner, Fabian Gleeson, intervened to tell Greenwood he was “not here to debate with counsel assisting” but to “answer the question”. Greenwood said: “I presume they’re under 10.”
Dwyer, telling Greenwood that Anita Perrottet’s children were around two and three at the time, asked: “Did she give you a mum’s perspective on deterring under-fives from vaping?
“No,” Greenwood replied.
Dwyer said: “Your evidence is ridiculous, can I suggest to you, that Anita Perrottet contributed to a debate that had been the subject of professional reports … for many years before you say you brought Anita Perrottet on board.” Greenwood disagreed.
Gleeson made a non-publication order over a racist message Greenwood had sent in 2020 about the chief of staff of then treasurer Dominic Perrottet.
Ellis had shared a screenshot of messages with Greenwood in which he had written to ask to be connected with a Treasury staff member on behalf of Toplace, to which the chief of staff responded: “We have no interest in doing favours for developers. All proposals will go through proper planning processes and be assessed on its merits.”
Gleeson paused proceedings, making a direction that it was in the public interest that a “racist remark” Greenwood sent to Ellis about the chief of staff be suppressed. Greenwood accepted Dwyer’s suggestion that the comment was “highly offensive”.
Ellis moved to the UK at the start of this year and is not expected to appear. Dominic Perrottet is not named as a person of interest in Icac’s allegations and is not accused of any wrongdoing.
On Wednesday afternoon, Greenwood was asked about folders shared by Anita Perrottet with him via email in March 2023 following parliamentary inquiry which preceded Icac’s probe, titled “Greyhounds”, “British Tobacco” and “Catholic Cemeteries”.
Anita Perrottet previously told the commission she ceased to work for JPG Advisory before the parliamentary inquiry. After Dwyer alleged that the empty folders which were created as a “false documents trail” – which Anita Perrottet has denied – Greenwood said he could not speculate.
Dwyer later asked: “There is no reason that you can think of to send you empty folders at any time, is there?”
“No, unless you thought in future there might be a need to fill them,” said Greenwood.
Greenwood was not released from his summons at the end of his evidence on Wednesday but is not currently scheduled to appear again before the commission. As Dwyer’s questioning of Greenwood concluded on Wednesday, she put it to him that he had put Anita Perrottet in “a very difficult position … because you and others, but let’s stick with you, were party to her lying to this [commission]”. Greenwood disagreed.
Icac’s inquiry continues.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
Greenwood denies that invoices for almost $1m sent in a single day in September 2021 were ‘bogus accounts’ to cover up political donations. Follow our Australia news live blog for…
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
A Liberal factional figure has been left “high and dry” by fugitive property developer Jean Nassif, but did not chase him for payments because “it’s how Jean does business”, New South Wales’ anti-corruption watchdog has heard.
Jeremy Greenwood returned to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Wednesday after Nassif made an explosive video appearance from his Beirut bedroom on Monday and Tuesday. Nassif declared he was “not corrupt”.
Icac is investigating an allegation that Greenwood, Charles Perrottet and Christian Ellis shared in $2m in payments between 2020 and 2023 from Nassif, or his company Toplace, in exchange for political outcomes.
Greenwood and Perrottet have said payments were for genuine lobbying work by Beckington, controlled by Greenwood and Ellis, and JPG Advisory, controlled by Greenwood. Greenwood has previously described an agreement, which he said was written on a purple-pink piece of paper, under which they would be paid $1m for each Toplace development they could get fast-tracked.
On Wednesday afternoon, Greenwood denied that invoices purportedly “in arrears” of almost $1m sent in a single day by Beckington to Toplace in September 2021, were “bogus accounts to cover up the scheme where Nassif is paying large amounts of money [in political donations]”.
“There’s no scheme,” he said. Greenwood, who told the commission he did not believe Beckington received all the money owed to it by Toplace before it began to pay JPG Advisory in 2022, was asked why he had not followed this up with Nassif.
“You’ve met him now,” said Greenwood. “It’s how Jean does business.”
Greenwood has told the inquiry he is a creditor of Toplace, which collapsed in 2023 owing more than $1bn after Nassif fled for Lebanon in late 2022. On Wednesday, the commission heard that Christian Ellis was also a creditor and had publicly lodged that Beckington was owed $1.4m by Toplace for consultancy work between 2019 and 2021.
Greenwood, who has admitted to being in contact with Ellis during the inquiry, was asked if he had discussed with him “the proposition you were owed over $1m” by Nassif.
“I mean we’ve certainly discussed the fact that Jean, we believe, left us high and dry,” he said.
Counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer SC put it to him that it “is not something that you would want to openly disclose, the consultancy work you did with Jean Nassif”. Greenwood said he had “no issue disclosing that I worked for Toplace”.
On Wednesday morning, Greenwood was asked about his previous evidence on advice he said Anita Perrottet, sister-in-law of the former premier, gave to lobbying firms Beckington, controlled by Greenwood and Ellis, and JPG Advisory, controlled by Greenwood.
Dwyer has alleged invoices of $660,999 paid to Anita Perrottet’s company, Macquarie Consulting, over two and a half years were her husband, Charles Perrottet’s, share of the money from Nassif.
Anita Perrottet has told the watchdog payments were for “strategic and marketing advice” she provided; while Charles Perrottet has said they were “holistic” payments covering his advice to Nassif on his developments as well as his wife’s work.
Greenwood has previously told the commission Anita’s advice, for which the commission has no written evidence, provided a “mum’s perspective”. He said after first being contracted by Beckington in 2020, she may have come up with the term “zero unnecessary euthanasia” for greyhounds, and given advice about discouraging minors from vaping, including removing flavours such as bubble gum, as well as black market regulation.
On Wednesday, Dwyer took Greenwood to 2017 recommendations by the NSW greyhound industry reform panel, which included the phrase “zero unnecessary euthanasia”, suggesting to Greenwood he had “outsmarted [him]self by coming up with that false evidence when it’s clearly a term used in a document years earlier”.
“I disagree,” Greenwood replied. Dwyer showed Greenwood a submission by Philip Morris to a 2020 Senate inquiry which referenced measures to regulate the illicit tobacco trade and a 2019 report committing to applying guidelines to prevent youth access to vapes.
Greenwood said he had read the submission by Philip Morris, a client of his, but rejected Dwyer’s suggestion it “makes a mockery” of his evidence about Anita Perrottet’s advice.
After Dwyer asked him how old Anita Perrottet’s children were at the time she provided advice on vaping, Greenwood said he did not know, and did not think it was relevant.
after newsletter promotion
The presiding commissioner, Fabian Gleeson, intervened to tell Greenwood he was “not here to debate with counsel assisting” but to “answer the question”. Greenwood said: “I presume they’re under 10.”
Dwyer, telling Greenwood that Anita Perrottet’s children were around two and three at the time, asked: “Did she give you a mum’s perspective on deterring under-fives from vaping?
“No,” Greenwood replied.
Dwyer said: “Your evidence is ridiculous, can I suggest to you, that Anita Perrottet contributed to a debate that had been the subject of professional reports … for many years before you say you brought Anita Perrottet on board.” Greenwood disagreed.
Gleeson made a non-publication order over a racist message Greenwood had sent in 2020 about the chief of staff of then treasurer Dominic Perrottet.
Ellis had shared a screenshot of messages with Greenwood in which he had written to ask to be connected with a Treasury staff member on behalf of Toplace, to which the chief of staff responded: “We have no interest in doing favours for developers. All proposals will go through proper planning processes and be assessed on its merits.”
Gleeson paused proceedings, making a direction that it was in the public interest that a “racist remark” Greenwood sent to Ellis about the chief of staff be suppressed. Greenwood accepted Dwyer’s suggestion that the comment was “highly offensive”.
Ellis moved to the UK at the start of this year and is not expected to appear. Dominic Perrottet is not named as a person of interest in Icac’s allegations and is not accused of any wrongdoing.
On Wednesday afternoon, Greenwood was asked about folders shared by Anita Perrottet with him via email in March 2023 following parliamentary inquiry which preceded Icac’s probe, titled “Greyhounds”, “British Tobacco” and “Catholic Cemeteries”.
Anita Perrottet previously told the commission she ceased to work for JPG Advisory before the parliamentary inquiry. After Dwyer alleged that the empty folders which were created as a “false documents trail” – which Anita Perrottet has denied – Greenwood said he could not speculate.
Dwyer later asked: “There is no reason that you can think of to send you empty folders at any time, is there?”
“No, unless you thought in future there might be a need to fill them,” said Greenwood.
Greenwood was not released from his summons at the end of his evidence on Wednesday but is not currently scheduled to appear again before the commission. As Dwyer’s questioning of Greenwood concluded on Wednesday, she put it to him that he had put Anita Perrottet in “a very difficult position … because you and others, but let’s stick with you, were party to her lying to this [commission]”. Greenwood disagreed.
Icac’s inquiry continues.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
A Liberal factional figure has been left “high and dry” by fugitive property developer Jean Nassif, but did not chase him for payments because “it’s how Jean does business”, New South Wales’ anti-corruption watchdog has heard.
Jeremy Greenwood returned to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Wednesday after Nassif made an explosive video appearance from his Beirut bedroom on Monday and Tuesday. Nassif declared he was “not corrupt”.
Icac is investigating an allegation that Greenwood, Charles Perrottet and Christian Ellis shared in $2m in payments between 2020 and 2023 from Nassif, or his company Toplace, in exchange for political outcomes.
Greenwood and Perrottet have said payments were for genuine lobbying work by Beckington, controlled by Greenwood and Ellis, and JPG Advisory, controlled by Greenwood. Greenwood has previously described an agreement, which he said was written on a purple-pink piece of paper, under which they would be paid $1m for each Toplace development they could get fast-tracked.
On Wednesday afternoon, Greenwood denied that invoices purportedly “in arrears” of almost $1m sent in a single day by Beckington to Toplace in September 2021, were “bogus accounts to cover up the scheme where Nassif is paying large amounts of money [in political donations]”.
“There’s no scheme,” he said. Greenwood, who told the commission he did not believe Beckington received all the money owed to it by Toplace before it began to pay JPG Advisory in 2022, was asked why he had not followed this up with Nassif.
“You’ve met him now,” said Greenwood. “It’s how Jean does business.”
Greenwood has told the inquiry he is a creditor of Toplace, which collapsed in 2023 owing more than $1bn after Nassif fled for Lebanon in late 2022. On Wednesday, the commission heard that Christian Ellis was also a creditor and had publicly lodged that Beckington was owed $1.4m by Toplace for consultancy work between 2019 and 2021.
Greenwood, who has admitted to being in contact with Ellis during the inquiry, was asked if he had discussed with him “the proposition you were owed over $1m” by Nassif.
“I mean we’ve certainly discussed the fact that Jean, we believe, left us high and dry,” he said.
Counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer SC put it to him that it “is not something that you would want to openly disclose, the consultancy work you did with Jean Nassif”. Greenwood said he had “no issue disclosing that I worked for Toplace”.
On Wednesday morning, Greenwood was asked about his previous evidence on advice he said Anita Perrottet, sister-in-law of the former premier, gave to lobbying firms Beckington, controlled by Greenwood and Ellis, and JPG Advisory, controlled by Greenwood.
Dwyer has alleged invoices of $660,999 paid to Anita Perrottet’s company, Macquarie Consulting, over two and a half years were her husband, Charles Perrottet’s, share of the money from Nassif.
Anita Perrottet has told the watchdog payments were for “strategic and marketing advice” she provided; while Charles Perrottet has said they were “holistic” payments covering his advice to Nassif on his developments as well as his wife’s work.
Greenwood has previously told the commission Anita’s advice, for which the commission has no written evidence, provided a “mum’s perspective”. He said after first being contracted by Beckington in 2020, she may have come up with the term “zero unnecessary euthanasia” for greyhounds, and given advice about discouraging minors from vaping, including removing flavours such as bubble gum, as well as black market regulation.
On Wednesday, Dwyer took Greenwood to 2017 recommendations by the NSW greyhound industry reform panel, which included the phrase “zero unnecessary euthanasia”, suggesting to Greenwood he had “outsmarted [him]self by coming up with that false evidence when it’s clearly a term used in a document years earlier”.
“I disagree,” Greenwood replied. Dwyer showed Greenwood a submission by Philip Morris to a 2020 Senate inquiry which referenced measures to regulate the illicit tobacco trade and a 2019 report committing to applying guidelines to prevent youth access to vapes.
Greenwood said he had read the submission by Philip Morris, a client of his, but rejected Dwyer’s suggestion it “makes a mockery” of his evidence about Anita Perrottet’s advice.
After Dwyer asked him how old Anita Perrottet’s children were at the time she provided advice on vaping, Greenwood said he did not know, and did not think it was relevant.
after newsletter promotion
The presiding commissioner, Fabian Gleeson, intervened to tell Greenwood he was “not here to debate with counsel assisting” but to “answer the question”. Greenwood said: “I presume they’re under 10.”
Dwyer, telling Greenwood that Anita Perrottet’s children were around two and three at the time, asked: “Did she give you a mum’s perspective on deterring under-fives from vaping?
“No,” Greenwood replied.
Dwyer said: “Your evidence is ridiculous, can I suggest to you, that Anita Perrottet contributed to a debate that had been the subject of professional reports … for many years before you say you brought Anita Perrottet on board.” Greenwood disagreed.
Gleeson made a non-publication order over a racist message Greenwood had sent in 2020 about the chief of staff of then treasurer Dominic Perrottet.
Ellis had shared a screenshot of messages with Greenwood in which he had written to ask to be connected with a Treasury staff member on behalf of Toplace, to which the chief of staff responded: “We have no interest in doing favours for developers. All proposals will go through proper planning processes and be assessed on its merits.”
Gleeson paused proceedings, making a direction that it was in the public interest that a “racist remark” Greenwood sent to Ellis about the chief of staff be suppressed. Greenwood accepted Dwyer’s suggestion that the comment was “highly offensive”.
Ellis moved to the UK at the start of this year and is not expected to appear. Dominic Perrottet is not named as a person of interest in Icac’s allegations and is not accused of any wrongdoing.
On Wednesday afternoon, Greenwood was asked about folders shared by Anita Perrottet with him via email in March 2023 following parliamentary inquiry which preceded Icac’s probe, titled “Greyhounds”, “British Tobacco” and “Catholic Cemeteries”.
Anita Perrottet previously told the commission she ceased to work for JPG Advisory before the parliamentary inquiry. After Dwyer alleged that the empty folders which were created as a “false documents trail” – which Anita Perrottet has denied – Greenwood said he could not speculate.
Dwyer later asked: “There is no reason that you can think of to send you empty folders at any time, is there?”
“No, unless you thought in future there might be a need to fill them,” said Greenwood.
Greenwood was not released from his summons at the end of his evidence on Wednesday but is not currently scheduled to appear again before the commission. As Dwyer’s questioning of Greenwood concluded on Wednesday, she put it to him that he had put Anita Perrottet in “a very difficult position … because you and others, but let’s stick with you, were party to her lying to this [commission]”. Greenwood disagreed.
Icac’s inquiry continues.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- Greenwood denies that invoices for almost $1m sent in a single day in September 2021 were ‘bogus accounts’ to cover up political donations.
- Follow our Australia news live blog for…