A Labor councillor expressed anxiety that his presence at a Liberal fundraiser attended by then-NSW treasurer Dominic Perrottet would compel him to give evidence to the state's anti-corruption watchdog, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) heard on Monday.
Sharangan Maheswaran, a former Strathfield councillor and lawyer to property developer Jean Nassif, sent messages revealing his concern after an inflammatory parliamentary speech triggered a referral to ICAC. Following remarks by NSW MP Ray Williams in June 2022, Maheswaran wrote "Oh shit, did he touch on me?" and requested that an invoice for what he called "the Dom lunch" be corrected.
The ICAC inquiry, known as Operation Rosny, is investigating whether Liberal factional operatives Christian Ellis, Jeremy Greenwood and Charles Perrottet—the younger brother of Dominic Perrottet—received $2 million in unlawful donations from Nassif in exchange for political favours. Dominic Perrottet is not identified as a person of interest and faces no allegations.
What prompted Maheswaran's concern?
Maheswaran's anxiety stemmed from his attendance at an April 2021 fundraiser for Hawkesbury Liberal MP Robyn Preston. A photograph showed him alongside Ellis and others, including Dominic Perrottet, who held the position of NSW treasurer at that time. Preston is not named as a person of interest and is not accused of wrongdoing.
In June 2022, Williams used parliamentary privilege to assert that senior Liberal figures had been "paid significant funds" to install new councillors on the Hills Shire council to support Toplace development applications—the company where Maheswaran became an executive in September 2020. Following the speech, then-premier Dominic Perrottet referred the allegations to ICAC.
After Ellis contacted Maheswaran about Williams' remarks, the commission heard that Maheswaran sought to have his name removed from a payment form for the fundraiser. He requested that the document, which had been sent to Ellis' mother Virginia Ellis (a Liberal Hills Shire councillor), be altered to show his company Anwalt Pty Ltd as the payer instead.
What did Maheswaran tell colleagues about his concerns?
Maheswaran confided in fellow Labor Strathfield councillor Karen Pensabene about the possibility of Toplace being referred to ICAC, stating: "I just don't want to have to give evidence." He expressed worry about how his fundraiser attendance would appear: "I think it should be fine, but it looks bad."
When Pensabene advised him to stop attending Liberal functions, Maheswaran responded with "Haha. I haven't been to one for the year."
Maheswaran explained to the commission that he attended the event after initially telling Nassif, who had received an invitation, that he could not participate or donate given his role as a property developer. He stated he paid for both his and Ellis's $990 tickets using an Anwalt company card, claiming he was present on behalf of the firefighters union to raise concerns with the treasurer rather than representing Toplace.
How did Maheswaran's anxiety escalate?
By February 2023, when parliamentary hearings prompted by Williams' speech took place, Maheswaran's messages to Greenwood conveyed what counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC characterised as panic. He wrote of being "concerned about my attendance at Robyn fundraiser" and inquired about who had access to Liberal fundraising records.
"I've got an explanation ready to issue from the FBEU [Fire Brigade Employees Union], but fucking CE [Christian Ellis] was very fucking insistent on a picture with me, him, and Dom, like very fucking insistent,"Maheswaran said.
Greenwood responded:
"Because he's a dumb fuck."
Dwyer suggested that Maheswaran had fabricated a narrative about attending "because of something to do with the firefighters union … to cover the fact that you were going at the request of Jean Nassif". Maheswaran rejected this, asserting he possessed correspondence with the union detailing "matters that they'd like to raise with the state treasurer", and that he had not "go on my time machine and create those conversations".
What other allegations are under investigation?
Beyond the donation allegations, ICAC's public notice for Operation Rosny indicates the inquiry is also examining whether Strathfield councillors Maheswaran and/or Pensabene engaged in conduct toward Matthew Blackmore that may have involved blackmail, dishonesty, breach of public trust or possible breaches of the Surveillance Devices Act.
Additionally, ICAC heard Maheswaran's denial that a message about David Elliott was connected to work for Nassif's interests, adding a fresh line of evidence to the inquiry.
What is Maheswaran's position on the payments?
Maheswaran maintained on Monday that payments from Toplace to lobbying company Beckington, which was controlled by Ellis and Greenwood, were not made in exchange for political outcomes. Dwyer has alleged these outcomes included the recruitment and renewal of members to the Hills Shire council—a practice known as branch stacking, which is not itself unlawful.
Ellis has relocated overseas and is not anticipated to provide evidence. Greenwood and Charles Perrottet have both denied that payments from Toplace were conditional on political outcomes. Charles Perrottet stated he would add a "political flavour" to advice in order to justify payments for genuine consulting work.
What happens next?
Maheswaran is scheduled to continue giving evidence over the next four days, according to reports from the hearing.
