Liberal Official Denies Request for 'Wire' Before Meeting Was Serious

1:06 AM ETDeveloping

World Desk

In Short: Jeremy Greenwood, a Liberal operative, told the Independent Commission Against Corruption that a request to be 'wired' for sound before a meeting was a 'silly' comment.

Jeremy Greenwood, a Liberal operative, told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Wednesday that a request to be 'wired' for sound before a meeting with fellow Liberals was a 'just a silly comment,' according to The Guardian. He stated that the message referred to a private investigator employed by Toplace, and he did not believe the meeting took place.

Icac is investigating allegations that Greenwood, along with Charles Perrottet and Christian Ellis, received $2m in payments from fugitive developer Jean Nassif or his company Toplace in exchange for political outcomes, including the removal of the building commissioner and damage to the career of a former Liberal minister.

Greenwood was asked about a message he wrote to Sharangan Maheswaran, a Toplace executive, ahead of a meeting with Liberal figures, in which he requested to be 'wired' for sound. Maheswaran, who is named as a person of interest in a separate Icac allegation, is expected to appear before the commission later this week.

Dominic Perrottet, the current Liberal leader, is not a person of interest in Icac’s inquiry and is not accused of any wrongdoing.

What's still developing

Nothing material beyond the confirmed record.

Sources

The Guardianlink