Source : the age
If you missed his piece this weekend, here’s senior writer Bevan Shields on the meme that summed up Anita Perrottet’s turbulent time in the witness box:
There’s a well-known meme from The Simpsons taken from a scene where Homer violently bashes the “Krusty Burglar” during a prank gone wrong. The camera pans to a group of children watching on in horror. One cries and points, pleading: “Stop! Stop! He’s already dead!” The clip has become code for moments when a person is subjected to excruciating degrees of punishment or humiliation.
I was reminded of that meme this week while watching Anita Perrottet in the witness box at the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Her evidence was so thoroughly unconvincing, and the corruption watchdog’s case against her so comprehensive, that it was tempting for a brief moment to feel sorry for the mother of two.
However, the sheer volume of implausible claims uttered while twisting and contorting her way through a two-day appearance ultimately made it difficult to have much sympathy.
The ICAC returns for another blockbuster week of evidence with the most anticipated witness left for Friday – fugitive property developer Jean Nassif.
Nassif will appear via video link as he continues to avoid returning home to Australia, where police are seeking him on serious fraud allegations.
Here’s the full witness list:
Monday: Charles Perrottet
Tuesday: Charles Perrottet
Hello and welcome to the Herald’s live coverage of the ICAC’s Operation Rosny public hearings.
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 hearing room.
Today Charles Perrottet returns to the witness box to answer questions about his relationship with fugitive property developer Jean Nassif.
First, let’s take a look at what we covered last week:
- Anita Perrottet has denied covering for her husband Charles after the ICAC heard evidence she was paid $660,999 in just over two years for her “strategic and marketing advice” but could not produce any written evidence of doing any work. She insisted she was paid what she was worth, and told the ICAC she gave her advice in person, over the phone or via disappearing messages.
- Anita Perrottet said business expenses showing trips to Sydney were likely times she met with her client Jeremy Greenwood, but she couldn’t recall specifically where they met or what they met about. The ICAC then heard evidence that places not Anita, but her husband Charles as the one taking those trips when he would sometimes meet with Jean Nassif. Perrottet said he would “humour” Nassif because he had an ulterior motive and wanted to extract some information out of him – we expect to hear more about those motives this week.
- The husband and wife texted about Liberal Party political machinations, and discussed if Charles’s brother Dominic would dump David Elliott from his cabinet as premier. The ICAC is investigating if Charles Perrottet, among others, worked to damage Elliott’s career on behalf of Nassif, who they anticipated receiving a share of $2 million from.
- Former building commissioner David Chandler said Nassif called him to make the threat: “If you harm my developments, I’ll harm you”. Outside the hearing room Chandler said the home owners left to live in Toplace developments were living in “hell on earth”.
