What the NSW Corruption Probe Is Revealing About a Fugitive Developer and the Liberal Party
A former NSW Liberal politician and staffer, Chris Spence, told a corruption inquiry on 24 August 2026 that Charles Perrottet may have been helping a fugitive property developer named Jean Nassif when he shared two secret audio recordings with Spence in 2021.
ICAC stands for the Independent Commission Against Corruption. It is a government body in New South Wales that investigates whether public officials or people close to them have acted dishonestly. It can force people to give evidence in public hearings.
Spence was the local member of parliament for The Entrance from 2011 to 2015, and later worked as chief of staff to Liberal MP Anthony Roberts from 2019 to 2023. He told the inquiry that Perrottet first contacted him about an alleged extortion attempt, asking about a business near Spence's old electorate that had come up in messages.
The first audio file, shared in May 2021, allegedly included Nassif talking to someone about a deal where the NSW building commissioner, David Chandler, would give him an occupation certificate for a building project in exchange for a large sum of money. An occupation certificate is an official document confirming that a finished building is safe and meets the rules. Without it, a developer cannot legally let people move in.
The second recording, shared in October 2021, was secretly made on a pocket phone and reportedly included former NSW Liberal minister David Elliott criticising Dominic Perrottet, who was the NSW premier at the time. Spence said Perrottet shared this recording to ask for help cleaning up the background noise on the audio.
The lawyer questioning Spence, Juliet Curtin, asked whether the recording was another example of Perrottet "ventilating dirt about Nassif's adversaries" — that is, spreading damaging information about people Nassif saw as enemies. Spence replied: "upon reflection it would look that way but it was not his view at the time."
Spence described Charles Perrottet as a prominent member of the NSW Liberals' conservative right faction. Factions are groups within a political party that band together to push for their preferred people and policies.
The inquiry heard that David Chandler is not a person of interest and is not accused of doing anything wrong. Dominic Perrottet is also not named in ICAC's allegations and is not accused of wrongdoing.
The wider investigation, called Operation Rosny, is looking into whether Liberal figures including Charles Perrottet accepted donations from Nassif and his company, Toplace, in return for things that helped Nassif — such as getting David Chandler removed from his job as building commissioner.
The public inquiry started on 27 July 2026. It is part of this investigation into possible breaches of electoral funding laws and other matters involving Nassif and Jean-Claude Perrottet, another of Dominic Perrottet's brothers.
The opening address, published on 28 July 2026, said the commission would hear evidence suggesting Nassif wanted the old Hills Council removed and that Charles Perrottet was introduced to Nassif. The inquiry has heard claims that Nassif tried to use the Perrottet brothers to influence outcomes.
Last week, around 21 August 2026, David Elliott gave evidence that Nassif started targeting him after he opposed Nassif's developments, including a controversial project in Cherrybrook in northern Sydney.
The week before that, former NSW fair trading minister Eleni Petinos told the inquiry she may have been used by other Liberals to help get Chandler removed from his position.
Earlier in the hearings, Jean-Claude Perrottet was played a secretly recorded phone call of him talking to Nassif about Nassif's share investments. He also told the inquiry he did factional work while employed by a Liberal MP.
Spence's testimony, whose close relationship with Charles Perrottet was discussed in an ICAC transcript from 20 August 2026, adds to a growing pile of evidence about how Nassif allegedly built relationships inside the NSW Liberal Party's faction networks.
The broader picture here is about a pattern. The recordings Perrottet shared — from the alleged bribery discussion about Chandler to the secret recording of Elliott — follow a sequence that the inquiry's lawyer has described as targeting people who stood in Nassif's way. Spence's admission that it "would look that way" in hindsight gives the inquiry a witness who is effectively agreeing with the theory being put forward, even if he did not see it at the time.
The inquiry is not sitting on 25 August 2026 and will resume with further witnesses.
As part of its wider role, ICAC also runs corruption prevention education, including free workshops for NSW government agencies on how corruption happens, where the risks are, and how it can be stopped, detected, and dealt with. It also offers conferences, outreach programs, and courses for senior executives.
