When Dominic Perrottet rose in the New South Wales parliament in 2011 to deliver his inaugural speech, he singled out one person above all others — his brother Charles. "We have been a team from the start and will be a team to the finish," the then-new MP for Castle Hill declared. More than a decade on, that famous declaration is looking increasingly hollow as Charles Perrottet sits at the centre of a high-profile Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry, having openly admitted to telling repeated lies.

Charles Perrottet at the Heart of the ICAC Inquiry

Charles Perrottet is a central figure in ICAC's wide-ranging investigation into whether fugitive developer Jean Nassif made illegal political donations to the Liberal Party. The inquiry has exposed a pattern of behaviour that Charles himself has struggled to convincingly explain.

His defence, put plainly, is that he fabricated stories to keep Nassif — a developer with a long history of erratic conduct — satisfied and paying bills owed to his political associates Jeremy Greenwood and Christian Ellis, who operated lobbying firm Beckington. "That's what friends do," Charles told the commission, adding that in politics, "sometimes you say things to people that aren't 100 per cent the truth."

The alleged fabrications were not trivial. Charles has told the commission he made up promises to Nassif including the removal of then-building commissioner David Chandler, the ousting of former police minister David Elliott, and assurances that troublesome councils would be dealt with. All of it, he says, was invented to pressure Nassif into paying his associates more promptly.

The commission's counsel assisting, Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, has made little secret of her scepticism. She reminded Charles on more than one occasion that "the great truism about telling a lie, Mr Perrottet, is you have to be really good at remembering it." His evidence has been extended by two additional days.

Nassif a No-Show, Citing Medical Grounds

The inquiry had been expected to hear from Nassif himself, but his name vanished from the witness list almost as quickly as it appeared. A medical certificate issued by a doctor in Beirut — where Nassif is currently residing to avoid serious fraud charges in Australia — indicated he was not well enough to appear via video link. He is reportedly willing to reschedule.

Nassif's absence leaves Charles as the dominant figure in the proceedings. The developer is known for colourful behaviour, including publicly gifting his then-wife a yellow Lamborghini for Valentine's Day and boasting about it on social media — context that Charles may be counting on to make his "I was just stringing him along" defence appear plausible.

The Perrottet Family's Expanding ICAC Footprint

Charles is not the only Perrottet brother drawn into the inquiry. Jean-Claude Perrottet, the youngest of the brothers, is also listed as a person of interest in the investigation, deepening what has become an uncomfortable chapter for the entire family.

Meanwhile, former premier Dominic Perrottet is in Washington DC, working for mining giant BHP following his dignified exit from politics after the Coalition's 2023 New South Wales election loss. Dominic has not been called to give evidence and is not listed as a person of interest. Nevertheless, the spectacle of two of his brothers featuring prominently in a corruption inquiry — one by his own admission a self-described liar — is unlikely to sit easily with him.

The two older brothers share a striking resemblance: similar voices, similar mannerisms, and a comparable slim build, though Charles has visibly lost weight during the inquiry period. Dominic, widely regarded as the chosen political standard-bearer of the family, built a reputation for clean governance. That reputation now finds itself in an unwelcome proximity to the ICAC spotlight, even if he remains outside its formal reach.

Charles, for his part, continues as a senior executive at BP — a role that contractually prohibits him from taking on outside work, adding another layer of complexity to his involvement with Beckington's principals.