The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) has heard that a Labor councillor feared his attendance at a Liberal fundraiser featuring Dominic Perrottet would force him to give evidence to the watchdog. Text messages revealed on Monday show Sharangan Maheswaran, a former Strathfield councillor, wrote "Oh shit, did he touch on me?" after an incendiary speech by NSW MP Ray Williams, and asked for an invoice for the "Dom lunch" to be fixed.
Icac probe into alleged illegal donations
Icac is examining whether Liberal factional operatives Christian Ellis, Jeremy Greenwood, and Charles Perrottet, the younger brother of Dominic Perrottet, received $2m in illegal donations from property developer Jean Nassif in exchange for political outcomes. Dominic Perrottet, the former NSW premier, is not named as a person of interest and is not accused of wrongdoing.
Maheswaran, who was a lawyer to Nassif and became an executive at Nassif's company Toplace in September 2020, was shown a photo of himself and Ellis at an April 2021 fundraiser for Hawkesbury Liberal MP Robyn Preston. The picture included others such as Dominic Perrottet, who was then NSW treasurer. Preston is not named as a person of interest and is not accused of wrongdoing.
Texts reveal concern over fundraiser attendance
After Ellis contacted Maheswaran about Williams' speech, the commission heard that Maheswaran wrote "Oh shit, did he touch on me?" and asked for his name on a payment form for the fundraiser, sent to Ellis's mother, Liberal Hills Shire councillor Virginia Ellis, to be changed to that of his company Anwalt Pty Ltd. The inquiry also heard that Maheswaran wrote to fellow Labor Strathfield councillor Karen Pensabene about a potential referral of Toplace to Icac, saying: "I just don't want to have to give evidence."
He wrote that he was concerned about his attendance at the fundraiser: "I think it should be fine, but it looks bad." Pensabene replied: "Would you stop going to Lib functions, please?" Maheswaran responded: "Haha. I haven't been to one for the year."
Maheswaran told the commission he attended the event after telling Nassif, who had received an email invite, that he couldn't attend and donate being a property developer. He said he paid for his and Ellis's $990 tickets with an Anwalt company card, stating he was there on behalf of the firefighters union to raise concerns with the treasurer, rather than on Toplace's behalf.
Panic messages before parliamentary inquiry
By the time of February 2023 public hearings in a parliamentary inquiry prompted by Williams' speech, Maheswaran sounded "panicked" in messages sent to Greenwood, counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC suggested on Monday. He wrote "concerned about my attendance at Robyn fundraiser" and asked 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 insistent on a picture with me, him, and Dom, like very fucking insistent," Maheswaran said.
Greenwood wrote back: "Because he's a dumb fuck." Maheswaran rejected Dwyer's suggestion that he had fabricated a story 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". He said he had correspondence with the union which set out "matters that they'd like to raise with the state treasurer", saying he didn't "go on my time machine and create those conversations".
Maheswaran insisted on Monday that payments from Toplace to lobbying company Beckington, controlled by Ellis and Greenwood, were not for political outcomes, which Dwyer has alleged included the recruitment and renewal of members to the Liberal party. The practice, known as branch stacking, is not itself illegal. Ellis has moved overseas and is not expected to give evidence, while Greenwood and Charles Perrottet have denied payments from Toplace were for political outcomes. Charles Perrottet said he would add a "political flavour" to advice in order to chase payments for genuine consulting work. Icac's inquiry continues.
