World

Australia: Anti-corruption inquiry into NSW Liberal Party and developer Jean Nassif

Herz — World Desk · 8 August 2026 at 21:44 · 30s summary · 4 min read

The essentials

An eight-week public inquiry by the ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption), the independent anti-corruption watchdog of New South Wales, Australia, has revealed allegations of financial ties between fugitive real estate developer Jean Nassif and members of the NSW Liberal Party. Intercepted phone calls from June 2021 show Nassif offering $100,000 to Jean-Claude Perrottet, brother of former NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, to finance the party's internal candidate nomination process. The inquiry also examines a conservative faction within the Liberal Party and allegations of concealed political donations made through false invoices and shell companies.

The ICAC is investigating alleged links between developer Jean Nassif and the NSW Liberal Party.
A June 2021 phone intercept reveals Nassif offered $100,000 to finance a Liberal candidate nomination.
Jean-Claude Perrottet denied understanding the offer; his brother Dominic Perrottet faces no accusations.
The NSW Reformers, a conservative Liberal faction, face scrutiny over hidden political donations.
Text messages show a lobbyist joking with Jean-Claude Perrottet about school funding money.

What we know

Operation Rosny is an eight-week public inquiry conducted by the ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption), the independent anti-corruption watchdog of New South Wales, Australia. The inquiry examines relationships between fugitive real estate developer Jean Nassif, members of the NSW Liberal Party, and allegations of electoral law violations. The hearings are being conducted by Counsel Assisting Peggy Dwyer SC, assisted by Juliet Curtin, according to ABC News.

In an intercepted phone conversation from June 2021, Nassif offered $100,000 to Jean-Claude Perrottet, brother of former NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet. According to the intercepts, the offer was intended to fund either the internal nomination of one of the brothers as a Liberal candidate or financial support for Liberal lobbyists Jeremy Greenwood and Christian Ellis.

Jean-Claude Perrottet denied understanding the offer, stating: "I don't know what he's talking about... It's clear it makes no sense." He had thanked Nassif for his support of the family by saying "It makes a difference, the work you do" — a remark he describes as innocuous.

During the same conversation, which also addressed factional matters in the Castle Hill and Baulkham Hills electorates, Jean-Claude Perrottet told Nassif: "Help in this area would be fantastic."

Former NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet himself referred the allegations to the ICAC in 2022 and faces no accusations of misconduct. The inquiry targets a third brother, Charles Perrottet, and other individuals for alleged donations from Nassif or his company intended for factional maneuvering within the party.

NSW Reformers and hidden donation allegations

The inquiry also targets the NSW Reformers, a conservative and Christian-oriented faction within the Liberal Party founded in 2018 by Christian Ellis and Robert Assaf. The ICAC is seeking to establish whether members of this group solicited funds from prohibited donors under NSW electoral law and whether political donations were concealed through shell companies and false invoices.

Counsel Assisting Peggy Dwyer SC is expected to allege that payments made by Catholic Schools NSW and by hotelier Michael O'Hara — who is classified as a prohibited donor under electoral law — were disguised as consulting fees for services that were never provided.

Text messages presented as evidence show lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood joking with Jean-Claude Perrottet about transferring his "dirty school money." Perrottet responded: "Don't put it in writing."