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Sharangan Maheswaran denies lying to ICAC over $148,500 cheque
Sharangan Maheswaran, a former senior executive at the collapsed property firm Toplace, has denied allegations of lying to the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) during the Operation Rosny probe.
During ICAC hearings, Maheswaran was questioned regarding a $148,500 cheque allegedly handed to Charles Perrottet, the brother of former NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet. Evidence presented to the commission suggested the transaction may have occurred at the Longueville Hotel in January 2021, following a text from Perrottet to developer Jean Nassif requesting assistance for upcoming political preselections.
Maheswaran, a former Labor Party member, rejected accusations from leading counsel Dr Peggy Dwyer, SC, that he was concealing the nature of the transaction to avoid the negative optics of a Labor member facilitating a payment from a property developer to a Liberal Party operative.
Additional testimony revealed that Maheswaran had provided Nassif with a secret phone in late 2020 for private communications. Toplace, where Maheswaran earned approximately $1.4 million between 2020 and 2023, collapsed in mid-2023 with debts estimated at up to $2 billion.
Entities
Charles Perrottet · Independent Commission Against Corruption · Jean Nassif · Sharangan Maheswaran · Toplace
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Charles Perrottet sent a text to Jean Nassif in January 2021 requesting assistance for upcoming preselections. www.brisbanetimes.com.au
- [● 3 SOURCES] Dr Peggy Dwyer, SC, accused Sharangan Maheswaran of lying to the commission regarding the delivery of a cheque. www.brisbanetimes.com.au
- [● 3 SOURCES] Sharangan Maheswaran denied the accusation that he was lying to the commission. www.brisbanetimes.com.au
- [● 3 SOURCES] Toplace collapsed in mid-2023 with debts totaling up to $2 billion. www.brisbanetimes.com.au
- [● 3 SOURCES] Maheswaran provided Jean Nassif with a secret phone in mid-to-late 2020 for exclusive communication. www.brisbanetimes.com.au
- [● 3 SOURCES] A $148,500 cheque was handed to Charles Perrottet, the brother of former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet. www.brisbanetimes.com.au