Observe our dwell protection
The previous lawyer for disgraced developer Jean Nassif provided $1000 to a Liberal lobbyist to get a narrative into the media alleging then police minister David Elliott breached COVID restrictions as a result of he was having an affair.
Sharangan Maheswaran, Nassif’s one-time lawyer and a former Labor councillor, provided the cost to lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood if he may persuade a reporter to put in writing a dangerous story about Elliott having an affair.
There isn’t any suggestion the allegations are true and Elliott has at all times denied any wrongdoing.
The Impartial Fee In opposition to Corruption is investigating whether or not Nassif wished to break the political profession of Elliott, who was a long-time enemy of the disgraced developer.
The fee on Wednesday continued listening to proof from Maheswaran, who can be an individual of curiosity within the public inquiry codenamed Operation Rosny. Maheswaran is accused of blackmailing former Strathfield mayor Mathew Blackmore and illegally recording his fellow councillor.
The corruption inquiry on Wednesday was informed a couple of textual content alternate between Maheswaran and Greenwood after the Toplace lawyer despatched an image of a automotive taken throughout surveillance of Elliott.
Maheswaran informed the fee he requested an investigator, often called Mr Nanetti, to do some primary surveillance on Elliott earlier than personally paying Nanetti about $1000 to return to Elliott’s road to take images.
The lawyer then wished to persuade Information Ltd journalists to put in writing a narrative claiming Elliott was breaching COVID guidelines as a result of he was within the firm of a lady who was not his spouse.
Maheswaran informed Greenwood: “A thousand bucks if you may get the yarn up.” Greenwood responded with “hahaha” earlier than Maheswaran replied: “Not joking”.
Maheswaran informed the inquiry it was not a critical provide.
Maheswaran additionally offered a short to non-public investigator Shane De Kauwe naming Elliott because the principal goal, and listed details about Elliott’s sons, spouse, chief of employees and various Hills Shire councillors.
“It should have occurred to you that Mr Nassif was growing some conspiracy theories about why his developments had been being blocked, relatively than simply really wanting on the real issues that had been there together with his developments,” Counsel helping Dr Peggy Dwyer, SC, requested.
Maheswaran informed the inquiry Nassif had thought-about launching defamation motion towards a person who was making damaging feedback about his developments, and “he wished to see if there was some improper objective or politically motivated objective within the feedback that had been being made”.
The fee has heard proof Maheswaran and Jeremy Greenwood had ongoing discussions about getting a journalist to publish a damaging story about Elliott supposedly breaching COVID restrictions, however struggled to persuade a reporter to run the unsubstantiated claims.
“So that you’re persistent about that story, weren’t you, since you knew that that was one of many outcomes that will please Jean Nassif, whether or not he was actively in search of it or not?” Dwyer requested.
Maheswaran responded: “No, I’ve a decade of observe file pitching tales which are adversarial to Liberal Nationwide MPs, ministers, and admittedly, that’s one thing that I’d do now and again, if it got here to my consideration.”
Earlier, Dwyer informed the fee former Wollondilly MP Nathaniel Smith had been known as for a personal examination after the inquiry had heard proof Charles Perrottet possessed some audio recordings of Elliott.
These recordings had been known as “covert recordings”.
Nevertheless, after questioning Smith, Dwyer stated the recordings had been decided to be pocket dial voicemails, inadvertently left by Elliott on Smith’s cellphone. Smith then handed on these voicemails to Charles Perrottet.
Dwyer informed the fee that ICAC employees had amended earlier transcripts to right these references to covert recordings.
Sydney’s finest protection of the ICAC inquiry
Alexandra Smith is a senior author and former state political editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.Join through X or electronic mail.
Jessica McSweeney is a reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald masking state politics and concrete affairs.Join through electronic mail.