NSW Treasurer Refers Building Commissioner Allegations to Icac

New South Wales Treasurer Daniel Mookhey referred allegations against building commissioner David Chandler to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) following a meeting with lawyer Sharangan Maheswaran. Maheswaran, representing fugitive developer Jean Nassif and the company Toplace, claimed that Chandler harassed Nassif by issuing incorrect defect notices to pressure him into ending a defamation dispute with radio station 2GB.

Maheswaran had previously urged Mookhey to raise these claims during budget estimates in 2021 while Mookhey served as an opposition MP. Mookhey declined to bring the matter to parliament, stating he had a duty to report the allegations to the corruption watchdog instead.

These developments are linked to Icac's Operation Rosny, which is investigating whether Liberal figures Christian Ellis, Jeremy Greenwood, and Charles Perrottet received $2 million in illegal donations from Nassif or Toplace. The investigation seeks to determine if these payments were made in exchange for political outcomes, including the removal of the building commissioner. Nassif has denied corruption, while Greenwood and Perrottet have denied that any payments were linked to political outcomes.