Liberal operative denies he invented pink paper record of agreement with fugitive developer, Icac hears
Jeremy Greenwood tells inquiry note contained agreement with Jean Nassif as counsel assisting says ‘threads of your story pull apart very quickly’ A Liberal operative has denied making up a “pink” or “fuchsia”-coloured piece of paper which he says was the record of an agreement with a property developer worth up to $5m, a corruption inquiry has heard. Jeremy Greenwood told the Independent…
Liberal operative Jeremy Greenwood has denied fabricating a "pink" or "fuchsia"-colored document that allegedly served as a record of an agreement with property developer Jean Nassif, according to a corruption inquiry. Greenwood testified that the note, which he had not mentioned in a preliminary interview, was not a recent invention.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) is probing allegations that Greenwood, Charles Perrottet, and Christian Ellis received $2 million in payments from Nassif between 2020 and 2023 in exchange for political outcomes. Perrottet, the brother of the former premier Dominic Perrottet, and Greenwood have denied accepting illegal political donations, while Ellis is currently not expected to testify.
On Monday, Greenwood shared details of an agreement with Nassif, under which his lobbying firm Beckington would receive $1 million for each of up to five Toplace projects if they were expedited. The sole written record of this arrangement, Greenwood claimed, was a note stored in the back of the Toplace general manager's phone case.
The note, allegedly fuchsia or purple-pink in color, contained the names of two projects and was folded in half. However, counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC questioned Greenwood, suggesting the note was a recent invention to explain the arrangement. Greenwood firmly denied this, stating that Toplace executive Sharangan Maheswaran, whom he described as a "very close friend," served as his solicitor for a verbal cost agreement without a written record.
Greenwood admitted to occasionally giving Maheswaran money when working hard, but acknowledged Maheswaran had not advised him about a potential conflict of interest. Dwyer pointed out that having the same solicitor represent two clients with opposing interests was an obvious conflict. Greenwood maintained that Maheswaran was transparent about the situation, emphasizing that he was not a lawyer and not aware of legal conflicts.
Maheswaran, named as a person of interest in another Icac allegation, is expected to appear before the commission shortly. Nassif is scheduled to appear via video link from Lebanon and previously withdrew from an appearance after providing a medical certificate.
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