The sister-in-law of Dominic Perrottet has rejected the suggestion she had been put in an “impossible situation” and lied under oath to cover illegal donations to her husband, an inquiry has heard. Anita Perrottet, wife of Charles Perrottet, told the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Wednesday that hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to her were for “strategic and marketing advice”. She said she provided verbal advice to Beckington, run by Christian Ellis and Jeremy Greenwood, and JPG Advisory, run by Greenwood.
Perrottet could only recall one client from her work for Beckington, for which she was paid as much as $333,500, saying the advice she gave included “creating websites”. The inquiry heard that for a single quarter in January 2022, she was paid almost $255,000 by JPG Advisory for verbal advice alone. As part of its inquiry into corruption into people associated with the NSW Liberals, Icac is investigating whether between 2020 and 2023, Ellis, Greenwood and Charles Perrottet took prohibited political donations from fugitive property developer Jean Nassif and his company Toplace, including for outcomes sought by Nassif.
The men allegedly anticipated receiving $2m to be distributed evenly between them. On the inquiry’s first day, counsel assisting, Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, said evidence would suggest that Anita Perrottet was a “conduit” for payments totalling $661,000, equalling her husband’s alleged share of the funds. At one point on Wednesday afternoon, asking about 2023 changes made by Charles to an invoice he created in 2022, Dwyer said: “Mrs Perrottet, can I suggest to you, you have been put in an impossible situation because you are being asked to lie under oath to cover for your husband?” “I reject that.
I’m not lying,” said Anita Perrottet, who asked to swear an oath on the Bible at the start of her evidence. She said any invoices made or changed by her husband would have been at her instruction. The commission heard that Anita Perrottet, who worked in communications in the financial sector and subsequently ran an alcohol delivery company, Deliver Me Drinks, became the sole director and shareholder of Macquarie Consulting when it was set up in August 2020.
Asked about a $10,000 a monthly retainer she was paid by Beckington, she said she worked 15 to 20 hours a week under a “flexible arrangement”, for which there was no written proposal. She could only recall one client from her time at Beckington, Greyhound Racing NSW. Anita Perrottet, who said marketing was “my background, so I have a good understanding”, said Greenwood would brief her, and she may have read “media articles” about the industry, but had never been to a greyhound race at the time.
Dwyer asked, “Why on earth would [Greenwood] need you then for strategic and marketing advice if he was giving you all the information?” “He would tell me the issues,” said Anita Perrottet. The commission heard on Wednesday afternoon that she was paid in three lump sums after the first 12 months, following an invoice of $150,000 sent by her husband, including a $30,000 finder’s fee. The payments added up to $170,500, being more than the amount invoiced.
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