NSW: Dominic Perrottet’s brother ambushed by TV crew after failing to turn up to corruption hearing 

NSW Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet’s brother was finally tracked down Tuesday morning after failing to show up for a state parliament corruption hearing.

After missing for a month as summons servers searched for him, Jean-Claude Perrottet was ambushed by a TV crew in a quiet suburb of Sydney.

Mr Perrottet managed to avoid appearing at the North Sydney Hills Shire Council investigation, which was sparked by allegations under parliamentary privilege by State Liberal MP Ray Williams about deals between party workers and developers.

Dressed in a green polo shirt, khaki shorts and brown sand shoes, he appeared shocked when approached by a 9News reporter asks ‘Where have you been?’

‘I’ve been abroad,’ replied Mr Perrottet, although he is now said to be staying with relatives.

He had a simple answer as to why he didn’t show up at the inquiry, saying, “As I said in my statement, I was abroad.”

However, he had no answer to the question ‘Why did you try to dodge it?’

The inquiry, which ended last week without subpoenaing Mr Perrottet, heard claims of attempted stacking from the Liberal Party and an alleged $50,000 bid to unseat Federal Liberal MP Alex Hawke from his Mitchell electorate in 2019.

Mr Williams alleged that Liberal Party members had been paid to install new councilors on the council to benefit a development company called Toplace.

Liberal power broker Christian Ellis was also summoned to appear, but was also unable to be tracked down to be subpoenaed. He is still missing.

The commission said it was the most committed, serious and coordinated avoidance it had ever seen.

The final report recommended that a new investigation be launched after the election and that Jean-Claude Perrottet, Charles Perrottet, Christian Ellis and Toplace director Jean Nassif be called to testify.

Mr Nassif is currently in Lebanon. His glamorous solicitor daughter Ashlyn Nassif, 27, was in court at Downing Center in Sydney last Wednesday for fraud after four family properties, including her father’s home and office, were raided.

Ashlyn Nassif, 27, stood in court at Downing Center in Sydney last Wednesday charged with fraud after four family properties, including her father Jean’s home and office, were raided

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (centre) is pictured with his wife Helen campaigning ahead of the March 25 election (with baby Celeste)

One of Dominic Perrottet’s other brothers, Charles, was also called but sent a letter to the inquiry saying that as he no longer lived in NSW he was under no obligation to testify.

‘I decline your invitation. I am a resident of Victoria. I have been living in Victoria since January 2021,” he wrote.

After initially warning the media to ‘leave my family out’ and refusing to answer questions, Prime Minister Perrottet eventually announced an internal Liberal Party investigation into the allegations.

“The state director of the organization is investigating those matters,” he said.

“And as I said, if someone has done wrong, appropriate action should be taken, the book should be thrown at him.”

Jean-Claude Perrottet (pictured left), who was the subject of a nationwide search to summon him to appear for an investigation, is now locked up in his in-laws’ home

During his campaign on Tuesday, Mr Perrottet was again asked if he knew where his brother had been.

He simply replied, “That’s right.”

The Prime Minister had previously blamed Labor and the Greens for orchestrating the investigation to embarrass him ahead of the March 25 state election.

On Tuesday morning, an unknown man who entered the same house Jean-Claude Perrottet had entered was asked if this was all just a ‘Labour smear campaign’?

He shrugged and said, “Probably.”