The New South Wales state parliament will hold off on conducting further public inquiries into alleged impropriety at Hills Shire council while the state’s anti-corruption commission conducts its own investigation.
A previous upper house inquiry, launched after allegations aired in parliament by NSW Liberal MP Ray Williams about senior members of his own party, became a focal point of the recent election campaign when it sparked a manhunt for one of former premier Dominic Perrottet’s brothers.
A spokesperson for the premier, Chris Minns, confirmed the government would not be commencing a new public inquiry in this term of government.
“At the request of Icac, the government will not be proceeding with a public inquiry into the Hills Shire council at this stage as it may impact on an investigation being conducted by the commission,” the spokesperson said.
The premier has been considering how else to act on the allegations, including placing the council into administration.
The Sunday Telegraph reported that homes of past and present NSW Liberal party members have been raided as part of the investigation, with laptops and phones seized during the raids.
The matters were referred to Icac by then-premier Perrottet in June of last year after Williams alleged in NSW parliament that senior members of the Liberal party were “paid significant funds” by prominent property developer Jean Nassif to install new councillors to push development applications through.
Williams told parliament that the incoming members had allegedly been brought in to green-light developments from Toplace – owned by Nassif – which, he alleged, is a client of Liberal powerbroker and lobbyist Christian Ellis.
Williams told parliament that, before the council elections, Nassif had “apparently” met with Ellis and other members of the Liberal party who were “paid significant funds in order to arrange to put new councillors” at the council to be “supportive of future Toplace development applications”.
Nassif has repeatedly denied the allegations.
The last parliamentary inquiry sparked a statewide manhunt for Ellis and Jean-Claude Perrottet. In a letter to the inquiry Perrottet denied all allegations and accused it of being a way to further “political ends” in advance of the state election.
Nassif declined to appear because he was in rural Lebanon. Charles Perrottet was also asked to appear but could not be compelled because he lives in Victoria.
In March, Dominic Perrottet said the Liberal party would conduct an internal investigation into the claims after the allegations were tabled as part of a parliamentary report.
“The Liberal party will look at those matters and any wrongdoing that is found, if any, appropriate action will be taken,” he said.
Earlier this year, in separate and unrelated proceedings, Nassif’s daughter Ashlyn was arrested and charged with dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception and publishing false or misleading material to obtain an advantage as part of a major fraud investigation into a controversial multimillion development in the city’s north-west.
Icac declined to comment.
