On Monday Jeremy Greenwood was mostly asked about his dealings with Jean Nassif and Charles Perrottet in connection with his company Beckington, but today it’s likely the lobbyist will also be questioned about his other company, JPG Advisory.
With the “money train” (as counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer, SC, puts it) spanning different companies and political groups it can be easy to lose track of which is which. Here’s a brief reminder:
Beckington Group: The lobbying and government relations firm set up by Jeremy Greenwood and Christian Ellis. Earlier ICAC witness Dylan Whitelaw was an employee, and Charles Perrottet says he was helping his friends chase developer Jean Nassif for money owed to Beckington for work they did to assist with his developments. The ICAC is investigating if Beckington was actually receiving unlawful political donations from some of its clients, including Catholic Schools NSW and hotelier Michael O’Hara, which were used to support the work of the Reformers.
The Reformers: The right-wing, religious sub-factional group working to recruit more members to the Liberal Party to boost the power of the hard right faction, particularly in the Hills where a political civil war had erupted between the right and centre-right factions. Christian Ellis, Robert Assaf, Jean-Claude Perrottet and Dylan Whitelaw were all considered key Reformers.
JPG Advisory: The firm Jeremy Greenwood started after splitting from Beckington. He paid Jean-Claude Perrottet to work as a middle man to secure a contract with Catholic Schools NSW, which was previously held by Beckington.
Macquarie Consulting: Anita Perrottet’s company, which received large payments from Beckington and JPG Advisory for advice she gave for his clients, which included Greyhound Racing NSW. This company also received money in compensation for Anita’s husband Charles Perrottet’s advice he gave to Beckington to help Jean Nassif’s developments.
Toplace: Fugitive property developer Jean Nassif’s company. Toplace collapsed after Nassif fled Australia for his homeland Lebanon amid a NSW Police fraud investigation. More than 20 Toplace apartment buildings had defects.