Source : the age
Before we begin with Anita Perrottet’s evidence at 10am, let’s take a quick look at the key takeaways from last week.
Anita Perrottet was not named as a person of interest in this inquiry, but the ICAC is investigating if she played a role in helping her husband, Charles, receive money from property developer Jean Nassif.
We last heard details about Anita Perrottet in the opening statement of counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer, SC.
Dwyer said she expected evidence to show Charles Perrottet anticipated receiving significant funds from Nassif, but there was no evidence of him receiving that money directly. Instead, Dwyer said she expected evidence would show the funds were paid into an account by the company name of Macquarie Consulting Pty Ltd – with Anita Perrottet as the sole director and shareholder.
“We anticipate that the commission will receive submissions to the effect that the payments to Macquarie Consulting were for consulting work legitimately carried out by Anita Perrottet for Beckington and JPG Advisory. Yet, in the nearly four years that the Commission has been investigating the allegations the subject of this inquiry, it has uncovered no evidence of Anita Perrottet carrying out any work for either Beckington or JPG Advisory,” Dwyer said.
“Instead, the commission’s investigation has unearthed evidence of Mr Ellis dictating to Charles Perrottet, and not his wife, how he should structure the invoices that were ultimately issued by Macquarie Consulting to Beckington for the 2021/2022 financial year.”
The ICAC is returning for another day of public hearings, this time with Anita Perrottet, the wife of Charles Perrottet.
I’m state political reporter Jessica McSweeney, and along with the Herald’s senior writers, we’ll be bringing you all the news as it happens from the commission.
First, let’s take a look at what we covered on Monday:
- Chris Spence, who was chief of staff to then-planning minister Anthony Roberts, denied pushing for then-building commissioner David Chandler’s removal from office.
- Evidence was shown to the ICAC that Charles Perrottet had sent Spence purported evidence of an extortion attempt by Chandler against Jean Nassif. Chandler is not accused of any wrongdoing and is not a person of interest in this inquiry.
- After being shown evidence of repeated contact with Perrottet about the Chandler allegations Spence insisted he did not have an agenda to oust the building commissioner.
- Spence said he didn’t believe at the time that Charles Perrottet was working on behalf of Nassif, but told the commission on reflection it didn’t look “the best”.
- The ICAC heard evidence that Charles Perrottet had obtained a covert recording of MP David Elliott talking about Dominic Perrottet, later NSW premier, which he also sent to Spence.
- Spence was scathing in his evidence about his former colleague Dylan Whitelaw, after the one-time staffer gave evidence earlier in the commission that Spence wanted then-fair trading minister Eleni Petinos to use a video of Chandler against him. Spence said Whitelaw was “delusional” and said he “gaslit” the office while they both worked for Anthony Roberts.
