The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is examining whether donations linked to developer Jean Nassif were exchanged for political favours, including removing David Chandler as building commissioner and stopping him from investigating Nassif's developments.
Counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC read to the inquiry a 2021 exchange between Nassif and employee David Krepp, in which Krepp warned of defects identified by Chandler. "That's going to f*** us Jean, the defects are huge," Krepp said. Nassif responded by telling Krepp to speak to Toplace lawyer Sharangan Maheswaran, who is a main target of the inquiry. "All right mate, talk to Sharangan, get Sharangan to release the personal lawsuit against Chandler," Nassif replied.
Maheswaran denied being part of a coordinated campaign to damage the commissioner's career. He said he sent material concerning Chandler to political contacts, including a video he believed could damage the commissioner, but rejected suggestions this amounted to a campaign. "I want to keep it highly secret. You will see in the next four weeks, he will be finished," he told Nassif. Maheswaran told the inquiry he believed the material was intended to draw attention to conduct he considered concerning. Chandler is not accused of any wrongdoing.
The inquiry also heard that NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey referred Maheswaran's claims about Chandler to ICAC a day after a meeting in 2021. Mookhey, then an opposition MP, said Maheswaran described his client as a "prominent builder" and raised allegations that Chandler had subjected his client to additional inspections and incorrectly issued defect notices. Maheswaran agreed that he asked Mookhey to raise the matter in parliament, and that Mookhey told him he had a duty to report the allegations to ICAC.