ICAC raids on homes of Liberal Party members, including ex-premier’s brother Charles Perrottet

The homes of NSW Liberal Party members, including that of former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet’s brother, have been raided as part of an ICAC investigation.

The homes of up to five past and present NSW Liberal Party members, including that of the Victorian-based brother of former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet, have been raided as part of an investigation by the state’s corruption watchdog.

The Sunday Telegraph understands the raids began last week, with teams of NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption officers turning up to the homes of their targets in the early hours of the morning to seize laptops and phones.

In the case of Charles Perrottet, who has been based in Melbourne since 2021, it is understood the NSW-based corruption watchdog co-opted the Victorian police to enter his residence.

The raids are understood to be linked to an investigation ICAC is believed to be undertaking into allegations Liberal MP Ray Williams made against his own party under privilege in state parliament last year — and which Dominic Perrottet himself referred to the watchdog.

Mr Williams has alleged the former mayor and six Liberal councillors in The Hills Shire Council were replaced by Liberal Party state executive at the council elections “without the usual preselections processes normally afforded to such positions”.

It is believed Charles Perrottet’s home was one of the locations targeted by ICAC.

He told parliament on June 23 he had heard allegations that senior members of the NSW Liberal Party had been “paid significant funds in order to arrange to put new councillors on The Hills Shire Council” who would support future DAs by developer Toplace, owned by Jean Nassif.

The allegations were rejected by Toplace as “nonsensical”, with Mr Nassif categorically denying the claims that he or Toplace had had contact with the new councillors on Hills Shire Council.

Mr Williams did not name Charles Perrottet as one of the Liberals involved. Mr Perrottet has not been a member of the Liberal Party since June last year.

Mr Williams’ allegations are understood to have followed continuing investigations by the NSW Liberal Party local government “oversight” committee, which allegedly was looking into similar claims being levelled against members of Mr Williams’ centre-right faction.

Following Mr Williams’ claims, the Greens and Labor established an Upper House inquiry to investigate the allegations before accusing some of the Liberal Party member witnesses of “deliberately avoiding” appearing.

In response, Charles Perrottet declared he would not appear in what he described as a “Labor-Greens circus”.

In a statement obtained by The Daily Telegraph at the time, Mr Perrottet said the statements of some of the committee members were “ill-­informed” and “defamatory”.

Members of the Liberal right faction and centre-right faction have long been engaged in a power struggle in the Hills Shire and Paramatta, with members accusing each other of plotting to stack branches.

Charles Perrottet declined to comment when contacted by The Sunday Telegraph.

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