Liberal lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood has told a corruption inquiry he paid consultant Anita Perrottet a $10,000 monthly retainer largely to offer a "mum's perspective" on vaping — as counsel assisting pressed him over stark inconsistencies between his account and Perrottet's own evidence about whether she performed any genuine work for his firm.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption heard on Wednesday that despite Anita Perrottet receiving $660,000 over two years for what was described as "strategic advice" to Greenwood's lobbying business Beckington, investigators could find no emails reflecting work she had done, and no phone records showing direct calls between the pair.
Conflicting Accounts of a Working Relationship
The commission heard that during an earlier private hearing, Greenwood had described holding weekly Zoom meetings with Anita Perrottet lasting up to an hour. Perrottet, however, told the inquiry their contact was ad hoc and flexible, and that she communicated either in person or through her husband Charles's phone — not directly with Greenwood.
Counsel assisting Dr Peggy Dwyer, SC, put to Greenwood that the reason the pair's accounts did not align was because Anita Perrottet had never genuinely worked for Beckington at all.
"I suggest to you that the reason that you and Anita haven't got your stories straight is because Anita was not working for Beckington genuinely at that time," Dwyer said.
Greenwood flatly rejected the suggestion. He insisted Perrottet had provided real value, pointing specifically to her input on vaping — a subject relevant to one of his clients — arguing her perspective as a mother gave his firm a useful lens on the issue.
The Alleged $2 Million Bribe and the Porsche That Couldn't Wait
The broader investigation centres on whether Greenwood, his business partner Christian Ellis, and former Liberal powerbroker Charles Perrottet shared in a $2 million bribe from developer Jean Nassif, allegedly funnelled through Beckington and a later firm, JPG Advisory. Under the alleged arrangement, Beckington stood to earn $1 million for each of Nassif's development projects it helped fast-track.
Greenwood told the commission that Charles Perrottet had provided some advice about helping Nassif achieve planning outcomes but asked not to be paid directly. Instead, it is understood Charles's share was directed to Anita Perrottet's marketing business, Macquarie Consulting.
Text messages tendered to the inquiry laid bare the lobbyists' frustration at Nassif's tardiness in paying what they were owed. In exchanges with Ellis, Greenwood complained that a $400,000 payment from Nassif's construction company Toplace was overdue — and that a Porsche he had ordered was due to arrive in January.
"Good because the Porsche comes in January, and I'm getting worried, but it's also just really disrespectful from him," Greenwood wrote to Ellis, after being assured the money was coming.
A Pink Piece of Paper Nobody Else Remembers
Greenwood also faced pointed questions over evidence he gave on Monday about a pink piece of paper he claimed was the only written record of Nassif's promise to pay $1 million per fast-tracked project. Dwyer noted that in none of his earlier private hearings had Greenwood ever mentioned a pink, fuchsia, or any other coloured piece of paper — let alone one that he claimed had been folded into the back of Toplace general manager Larissa Mouawad's phone.
Dwyer put it to him directly: "And that's because it was a recent invention that you came up with on Monday or prior to Monday to explain that arrangement, isn't it?"
Greenwood denied the allegation. The commission heard that neither Mouawad nor Toplace's lawyer Sharangan Maheswaran had made any reference to such a document in their own private evidence.
The inquiry also heard that Greenwood told a secret ICAC hearing in May 2023 that Maheswaran had acted as his personal solicitor — a claim that adds further complexity to the web of relationships under scrutiny.
