‘Mafia boys’ and ‘corrupt politicians’: fugitive developer Jean Nassif rants to Icac from Beirut bedroom

Fugitive property developer Jean Nassif has declared he is “not corrupt”, claimed his daughter was forced to plead guilty to fraud and threatened to take the New South Wales government to The Hague in an explosive appearance at the state’s corruption watchdog.

Dialling into the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry from his Beirut bedroom, Nassif, 58, said he would return to Australia when he clears his name.

His evidence was part of an investigation into allegations against people associated with the NSW Liberals, where Icac is examining whether Liberal figures anticipated receiving $2m in prohibited donations from Nassif, in exchange for political outcomes including damage to the career of former NSW Liberal minister David Elliott and the removal of then-building commissioner David Chandler.

Counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC on Tuesday asked why Nassif had left Australia in December 2022 and whether he was attempting to avoid giving evidence at a parliamentary inquiry.

But Nassif batted away the suggestion, claiming he had travelled overseas to accept an international award.

He said he later chose to stay overseas because he was receiving threatening messages, but vowed to return to Australia in the future.

“I was planning to run – at the international court from [The Hague] – to sue the government,” he said.

“I’m going to collect the beautiful legal team who are willing to fight politicians to clear my name and when that court case is finished, I’ll be back in Australia.

“I’m not gonna go back to Australia to be killed by mafia boys.”

Nassif also said he had “lost his mind” after he and his family were “attacked” by politicians and the media.

“I will go back to Australia and I will make sure they all go to prison for what they did to my family, especially my daughter,” he told Icac.

His 32-year-old daughter Ashlyn Nassif was sentenced to a six month community corrections order earlier in September after pleading guilty to providing false or misleading information to obtain a $150m construction loan from Westpac.

Her lawyers argued she had succumbed to pressure from her father when she falsified the documents.

But her father claimed she was “forced” to plead guilty.

“They’re corruptly damaging a diligent … young, smart, beautiful, hard-working, honest girl because of their dirty mind and corrupt thinking,” Nassif said.

“My daughter has been forced to plead guilty so she can finish that case … but the police could not get any evidence of wrongdoing.”

Throughout his evidence, Nassif launched into multiple rants about NSW politicsand the state of the construction industry.

He claimed Elliot had delayed approvals to put pressure on him, accused the building commissioner of lying about defects in his buildings, and said he was “fed up with the budget and the way the government is ruled by corrupt politicians”.

Dwyer repeatedly urged Nassif to remain calm, asked him not to shout at her, and tried to pose further questions, but the property developer would not be stopped.

Showing handwritten notes to the camera, Nassif said: “I’m taking notes … so stop fucking putting words in my mouth. This is a public hearing, and I know what you’re doing. You want to show the public that I am corrupt. I’m not corrupt.”

The assistant commissioner Fabian Gleeson SC told Nassif to take a breath.

“The purpose of this inquiry is to get to the truth of certain allegations,” Gleeson said.

“It’s not for you to attack other people. You can be passionate about that, but this is not the forum for those complaints.”

Nassif responded by saying: “No, no, no, no. There is no one [who] can make me shut up. If you guys are not going to accept the problem, I need to pull out now.”

Nassif initially appeared at Icac on Monday. He produced a medical certificate to excuse himself from a scheduled appearance earlier this month.