Arabic version: بيروتيه يدافع عن دفعة استشارية لزوجته أمام «آي كاك»

According to ABC News, Charles Perrottet has defended a $150,000 yearly payment made to his wife, Anita Perrottet, for an average of 16 hours a week of consultancy work for businesses linked to lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood. Giving evidence to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption, he said he did not consider $150,000 for a year’s work to be a significant amount.

The payments were made through Beckington, a company linked to Mr Greenwood, who was working with fugitive property developer Jean Nassif and his company Toplace. The inquiry previously heard that Anita Perrottet, working through Macquarie Consulting, received more than $660,000 over about two-and-a-half years for work for Mr Greenwood’s businesses.

Mr Perrottet told the public hearing that part of the money paid to Macquarie Consulting also covered advice he personally gave Mr Greenwood about Toplace. That account differed from evidence Anita Perrottet gave the previous week, when she said the payments were for her consulting work and that neither she nor her husband had worked to benefit Toplace.

Counsel assisting the commission Peggy Dwyer SC questioned Mr Perrottet about why he had not disclosed the arrangement in earlier private hearings and whether he told his wife that some payment was compensation for his advice. He said Anita Perrottet was doing “a lot of good work” for Mr Greenwood and said he could not say how much he had disclosed to her. ICAC is examining whether payments through companies linked to Mr Greenwood were genuine consulting fees or disguised money intended for political purposes. It is investigating allegations that prohibited political donations were channelled through third parties to support the NSW Liberal Party’s right-wing faction and advance Mr Nassif’s interests. Dominic Perrottet is not accused of wrongdoing. Charles Perrottet is due to return for an additional day of evidence on Thursday.