ICAC Hears Liberal Operative Was Offered $1,000 to Push Unsubstantiated Affair Rumour to Media
A lawyer for fugitive property developer Jean Nassif allegedly offered a Liberal operative $1,000 to get media outlets to cover an unproven rumour about a then-Liberal minister, an ICAC hearing was told.
A lawyer acting for fugitive property developer Jean Nassif offered a Liberal Party operative $1,000 if he could get media outlets to report on an unsubstantiated rumour that a then-New South Wales Liberal minister, David Elliott, had an extramarital affair and had breached Covid-19 restrictions, the state's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has heard.
Sharangan Maheswaran told the ICAC hearing about the alleged offer during testimony reported as part of ongoing proceedings. According to the Guardian's report of the hearing, Maheswaran characterised the payment offer as "not a serious offer."
Unproven allegations at the centre of testimony
The rumour concerning Elliott, described in the hearing as unsubstantiated, alleged both an extramarital affair and a breach of Covid-19 public health restrictions. The available source material does not indicate that the underlying rumour was substantiated, nor does it detail further outcomes of the ICAC proceedings.
The hearing forms part of a broader ICAC inquiry examining conduct connected to Nassif, who is a fugitive property developer, though further specifics of that wider inquiry were not included in the source material.
Sources
- Liberal operative was offered $1,000 to get media to cover ‘grubby rumour’ minister was having affair, Icac hears — The Guardian — World
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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