Arrest warrant issued for Jean Nassif, police investigate private investigators

The property developer has been issued with a warrant for his arrest by police after leaving the country following the arrest of his daughter, with police also investigating a private investigator found to be following his wife.

Property developer Jean Nassif leaving Burwood Local Court in 2022 after serious assault allegations are dismissed because alleged victim Nisserine Nassif, his wife, is in Lebanon. Picture: Liam Mendes

Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Sydney property ­developer Jean Nassif after he left the country following the ­arrest of his daughter.

Police have also investigated a private investigator found have followed Mr Nassif’s wife.

On Friday morning the 55-year-old, who was earlier in the year said to be in Lebanon, was issued an arrest warrant after strike force detectives attached to the State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad launched an investigation into alleged financial crimes in April 2021.

The Australian can reveal police launched an investigation into reports of individuals who had been staking out the multimillion-dollar waterfront home in Sydney’s inner west and attempting to covertly follow his wife Nisserine “Nissy” Nassif since Mr Nassif went overseas earlier this year.

Police confirmed one person – a man following her in a 2017 model Mercedes Benz – was found to be a licensed private investigator.

His wife Nissy is understood to have told police she was aware she was being followed - but that she said there was nothing she could do about it.

Mr Nassif’s daughter Ashlyn Nassif, 27, is currently before the courts, accused of falsifying a property pre-sale contract in order to secure a $150m Westpac loan, and is charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and publishing false misleading material to obtain advantage.

Ashlyn Nassif in May. Picture NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Two companies behind the construction site, 51 OCHR and JKN Finance, were placed into receivership in March. Mr Nassif is the director of both companies.

Mr Nassif and his daughter are being investigated by the same strike force and as part of her bail conditions she is prohibited from contacting her father.

At the time of her arrest Ms Nassif was one of two directors at legal firm EA Legal. She was removed as a director two and a half months after she was charged. The other, and only remaining director is Mr Nassif’s daughter Evelyn Helou.

Photo released by NSW Police of Jean Nassif on Friday. Source: NSW Police

“We can’t conclusively confirm where Mr Nassif is at the moment, however, if he is offshore and overseas, then we’ll commence the appropriate conversations,” he told a press conference.

The Sydney property developer shot to fame after buying his wife a bright yellow Lamborghini - worth half a million dollars - on Valentines Day in 2019.

He went viral on social media after filming the delivery of the car, turning himself into a meme after famously saying: “Congratulations, Mrs Nassif. You like?”, with thousands mocking and ridiculing the phrase online with their own imitations.

On Friday afternoon Mr Nassif did not return phone calls, including ones to a Lebanese phone number used by him earlier this year after he left the country. On Friday afternoon Detective Superintendent Peter Faux said authorities were unsure where Mr Nassif is.“We can’t conclusively confirm where Mr Nassif is at the moment however, if he is offshore and overseas, then we’ll commence the appropriate conversations,” he told a press conference