ICAC reveals long-awaited inquiry into Liberals, councils and Catholic schools

The Independent Commission Against Corruption has announced a blockbuster public inquiry in its long-running investigation into Sydney property developer Jean Nassif’s links to Liberal Party figures, councils and Catholic schools.

The watchdog on Wednesday confirmed that the chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW Dallas McInerney, Nassif, hotelier and banned political donor Michael O’Hara and “certain Strathfield councillors” would feature in the long-awaited inquiry.

In a statement, the ICAC said it would probe whether Liberal party figures, including Christian Ellis, Jeremy Greenwood, Robert Assaf and Jean-Claude Perrottet (the younger brother of former premier Dominic Perrottet) “solicited or accepted political donations, including from prohibited donors, in amounts that were not declared and exceeded applicable donation caps”.

It is alleged that this scheme was designed to recruit party members or renew their memberships.

ICAC will also investigate whether between 2020 and 2023, political donations were made by or on behalf of Nassif and his company Toplace, which are prohibited donors under the Electoral Funding Act 2018 (NSW), and were “solicited or accepted” by Ellis, Jeremy Greenwood and Charles Perrottet, another brother of the former premier.

It has been alleged that these donations were to do “damage to the political career” of the former police minister David Elliott MP and the removal of the then-building commissioner, David Chandler OAM, from public office.

Catholic Schools NSW has also been drawn into the inquiry, with allegations that McInerney – a long time right-wing Liberal powerbroker – “arranged and approved” political donations to recruit members to the party.

The ICAC said the “amounts that were not declared and exceeded applicable donation caps”.

Catholic Schools NSW has been contacted for comment. Jean-Claude Perrottet is also an employee of the organisation, which is the governing body for NSW diocesan Catholic schools. Assaf has also held roles at the organisation.

The inquiry, however, is not confined to the Liberals.

Strathfield Labor councillors Sharangan Maheswaran and Karen Pensabene were also alleged to have engaged in conduct towards Strathfield councillor Matthew Blackmore that “involves the dishonest or partial exercise of their official functions and/or a breach of public trust, including conduct which could involve blackmail and/or possible breaches of the Surveillance Devices Act 2007.”

On Wednesday, Chris Minns’ office confirmed the premier would ask Labor head office to suspend Maheswaran and Pensabene from the party. The Liberals are not doing the same for any of its members implicated in the hearing.

In a statement, a Liberal Party spokesman said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on a current active ICAC inquiry.

“The Liberal Party expects its members to meet the high standards demanded by this organisation, our membership and the public.”

The existence and timing of the ICAC inquiry has been the subject of speculation since Liberal backbencher Ray Williams used a private members’ statement in mid-2022 to claim his own party colleagues were involved in systemic corruption.

The NSW government in 2023 gave the corruption watchdog powers to use secret recordings of conversations that were made illegally by third parties, a move that was extended in October.

In February, the NSW Liberals joined the Greens to block those expanded powers but later agreed to support the new laws.

The inquiry, known as Rosny, is set down for eight weeks and will start on July 27.

More to come.

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