A lawyer for fugitive property developer Jean Nassif offered a Liberal operative $1,000 if he could get media to write about an unsubstantiated extramarital affair and breach of Covid-19 restrictions by a New South Wales minister, the anti-corruption watchdog has heard.
Sharangan Maheswaran told the Independent Commission Against Corruption a message to lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood about placing a story about former Liberal minister David Elliott, was “not a serious offer”. He was shown a message to Greenwood in which he wrote he was “not joking”.
In a statement and evidence to the commission, Elliott has strongly rejected the allegation of an extramarital affair or breach of Covid-19 restrictions. Multiple witnesses have accepted there was no evidence for the allegation.
Icac is investigating the allegation that Liberal figures Christian Ellis, Greenwood and Charles Perrottet took $2m in illegal donations from property developer Nassif or his company Toplace in exchange for political outcomes.
Greenwood and Perrottet have denied payments were for political outcomes, while Ellis has moved overseas and is not expected to give evidence. Nassif, in an appearance from his Beirut bedroom, insisted he was “not corrupt”.
The alleged outcomes include damage to the political career of Elliott, who had opposed Toplace developments.
Maheswaran, a former lawyer to Nassif and Toplace executive, accepted he had given a private investigator, “Mr Nanetti”, Elliott’s address in 2020 to investigate a rumour that the MP was breaching Covid-19 restrictions to conduct an extramarital affair. Maheswaran accepted he now knew the rumour to be untrue.
He said Nanetti initially made “observations” at Elliott’s address as a favour, but he subsequently paid him $1,000 to return to Elliott’s address, where he took photographs.
On Wednesday, counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer SC, asked him if he had offered Greenwood $1,000 to place a story with a journalist.
Maheswaran said he had, but told the commission it was “not a serious offer”. Dwyer took him to the messages: “You say: ‘1000 bucks if you can get the yarn up’, and Greenwood says ‘Hahaha’, and you reply, ‘Not joking!’”.
The commission heard the men unsuccessfully tried to place the story with the Daily Telegraph, including providing photos of Elliott in a car with a woman who was not his wife and a draft statutory declaration by the private investigator. Elliott has said photographs show him signing documents for work purposes.
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Dwyer, who described the story as a “grubby rumour” to which there was no truth, suggested that Maheswaran was “persistent” because he was pursuing a political outcome sought by Nassif.
Maheswaran rejected that, saying he had a “decade of track record pitching stories that are adverse to Liberal National MPs, ministers”. He said Nassif was the source of the rumour about Elliott, but had not requested the story be placed.
On Wednesday morning, Dwyer told the commission that 2021 phone recordings of Elliott in which he purportedly criticised Dominic Perrottet, were in fact accidental voice messages, or “pocket dial[s]” Elliott sent to former Liberal MP, Nathaniel Smith, and subsequently shared with Charles Perrottet.
Dwyer said following the information, which came to light during a compulsory examination of Smith, references in Icac’s transcripts to “covert recordings” would be amended to “inadvertent voice recordings”.
Maheswaran, who has denied any wrongdoing, is expected to continue giving evidence to the commission for the remainder of the week. He is the final scheduled witness across nine weeks of public hearings.
Icac’s inquiry continues.
