Liberal Party members fearful of public probe into property developer Jean Nassif’s dealings
There are signs the ICAC may have extended its scope - prompting fears among some Liberals of public hearings occurring in the critical months before the 2027 state election.
Former Liberal ministers, ex-councillors, former mayors and council staff, at least two sitting MPs and several party members have been interviewed as the State’s corruption watchdog as part of a corruption investigation into fugitive property developer Jean Nassif.
In what is shaping up to be one of the most explosive inquiries since Operation Keppel, there are signs the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption may have extended its scope - prompting fears among some Liberals of public hearings occurring in the critical months leading up to the March 2027 state election.
ICAC was asked in 2022 to examine allegations Castle Hill MP Ray Williams made in state parliament that senior Liberals were being paid by a property developer to install new councillors on Hills Shire council to help get development applications through.
The council rejected any acts of impropriety while Nassif also denied any contact with the new councillors.
The following year, The Sunday Telegraph revealed the homes of up to five past and present NSW Liberal Party members had been raided as part of the investigation.
Since then, council offices at City of Parramatta have been raided while some Liberal witnesses are believed to have been questioned about the circumstances surrounding the resignation of former NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler.
Mr Chandler aggressively pursued Nassif, forcing him to replace defective bathrooms and issuing prohibition orders before he abruptly resigned.
However, in his resignation letter, he blamed issues he had had with the then Coalition government and its relationship with another developer for his decision.
Mr Chandler was later persuaded to stay on, eventually stepping down from the role in August last year.
It is not clear if the inquiries being made about Mr Chandler’s resignation are linked with the investigation into Nassif or a separate investigation.
In a further sign the Toplace investigation may have expanded, ICAC chief commissioner John Hatzistergos requested permission from the Minns government to be able to use illegal recordings of private conversations made by “a third party” it had obtained.
The request followed an earlier one the corruption watchdog made in 2023, which led to the government granting it permission to use the recordings until the end of this year.
The most recent request was also granted, with the exemption from the Surveillance Devices Act extended to June 30 next year.
Just what is contained on the recordings has been an ongoing discussion among Liberals with an interest in the investigation, with some speculating they might have been made by Nassif or those close to him.
Mr Williams original allegations came amid a factional brawl in the Hills and Parramatta districts between the centre right and right.
Right-wing members had long accused the centre right of encouraging developers to stack branches and make donations in return for favourable viewings of their DAs.
Centre right members have claimed it was right-wing members engaging in the practice, while there have also been similar allegations against moderates.
One Liberal who has been targeted in the factional brawl said the inquiry would finally flush out the truth.
“I have made sure that I have been very helpful on my repeated visits,” the source said.
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Originally published as Liberal Party members fearful of public probe into property developer Jean Nassif’s dealings
