Barbs and bluster from the Beirut bedroom of ‘The Fugitive’ Jean Nassif

September 15, 2026 — 5:00am

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The current explosive NSW corruption inquiry appears to have a worldwide audience, including someone regularly dialling in from Lebanon.

It turns out that the “someone” is notorious developer Jean Nassif, also known as “The Fugitive” on account of him fleeing the country in December 2022. There is a warrant out for his arrest over allegations of serious fraud offences.

Hopefully, there was no one asleep in Nassif’s house at 7am local time as the developer gave evidence – in a most vigorous fashion – from his Beirut bedroom.

Within minutes of “swearing to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth”, Nassif was making wild accusations before the Independent Commission Against Corruption against former police minister David Elliott, whom he claimed was “a racist person … a corrupt politician”.

Nassif also said that Elliott was running a mafia operation in Parramatta and Baulkham Hills to stop his developments.

Elliott has given evidence that he merely raised his constituents’ concerns about the defects in the Toplace buildings.

Nassif then launched an attack on former radio broadcaster Ray Hadley, accusing him of “lying and talking bullshit without evidence” about the defects in Nassif’s........

© The Sydney Morning Herald