In the long and recurring story of power seeking shelter behind hired eyes, a former federal police officer sat before New South Wales's anti-corruption commission this week and described, with disarming candor, how he installed hidden cameras without permission, handed covert recording devices to a fugitive developer, and surveilled sitting officials — all at the direction of a lawyer he called one of his closest friends. The testimony illuminates a broader inquiry into whether $2 million in alleged illegal donations from developer Jean Nassif purchased political outcomes, including the delib
Private investigator admits installing hidden cameras for property developer under investigation
I trust him implicitly. I wouldn't consider it a conflict.
Mark
So a private investigator admitted to installing cameras without permission. That's the headline, but what's actually at stake here?
Mimi
The inquiry is trying to establish whether a property developer paid off politicians to damage his rivals. De Kauwe's testimony shows the surveillance infrastructure that was built to do that—targeting an MP who opposed the developer's projects and a building commissioner who was scrutinizing his apartments.
Luke
But we should be clear: De Kauwe admits to the surveillance. The question the inquiry is still working through is whether the politicians actually received money in exchange for outcomes. That's the corruption allegation, and it's not proven yet.
Mark
De Kauwe says he was following orders from a lawyer at the developer's company. How much does that lawyer know about what De Kauwe was actually doing?
Mimi
That's what Maheswaran's testimony will address. He's the final scheduled witness. De Kauwe says Maheswaran directed him to surveil Elliott and Chandler, but Maheswaran has denied wrongdoing.
Luke
And here's the thing—De Kauwe was getting legal advice from Maheswaran while Maheswaran was also his client. That's a conflict of interest De Kauwe doesn't seem to recognize. We don't know yet whether that advice was sound or whether it was cover.
Mark
The developer, Nassif, is in Beirut. He fled Australia. Why would he keep asking De Kauwe to surveil people after he left?
Mimi
De Kauwe said Nassif hated Chandler and wanted him removed. Even from Lebanon, Nassif apparently wanted to keep tabs on Elliott and Hadley, a radio host. It suggests the motivation was personal and political, not just business.
Luke
But we should note: the allegations that Nassif wanted recorded—that two men were demanding $5 million on Chandler's behalf—are unsubstantiated. Chandler is not accused of wrongdoing. De Kauwe thought the men were trying to defraud Nassif, not acting on Chandler's behalf.
Mark
So De Kauwe is a former federal police officer. He knew the law. Did he think what he was doing was legal?
Mimi
He said he was "fairly familiar" with the law and would seek legal advice. But he also admitted he had no authority to install that camera on the building. He knew it was unauthorized.
Luke
The question is whether he thought it was illegal or just unauthorized. Those aren't the same thing. And we don't know what legal advice he was actually given or by whom.
Il Polso
- A private investigator admitted under oath that he mounted a surveillance camera on a building he had no right to enter, targeting a woman connected to a Liberal minister — and billed the developer's company $15,000 for the work.
- The operation was not a rogue act but an orchestrated effort: a Toplace lawyer allegedly directed surveillance on both a sitting minister and the state's building commissioner, the very official scrutinizing defects in the developer's apartments.
- At the center of the web sits fugitive developer Jean Nassif, testifying from a bedroom in Beirut, who claims he was himself the victim of a $5 million extortion scheme — allegations the commission has found unsubstantiated.
- Three Liberal figures — Ellis, Greenwood, and Perrottet — face allegations they received $2 million in illegal donations tied to political favors; two deny any corrupt arrangement, one has left the country and will not testify.
- The inquiry is entering its final stretch, with the lawyer at the heart of the surveillance operation expected to take the stand as the last scheduled witness across nine weeks of public hearings.
In the long and recurring story of power seeking shelter behind hired eyes, a former federal police officer sat before New South Wales's anti-corruption commission this week and described, with disarming candor, how he installed hidden cameras without permission, handed covert recording devices to a fugitive developer, and surveilled sitting officials — all at the direction of a lawyer he called one of his closest friends. The testimony illuminates a broader inquiry into whether $2 million in alleged illegal donations from developer Jean Nassif purchased political outcomes, including the deliberate ruination of careers. It is a reminder that corruption rarely announces itself; it arrives dressed as loyalty, friendship, and routine invoices.
A private investigator told New South Wales's anti-corruption commission this week that he installed hidden cameras without authorization and supplied covert recording devices to a fugitive property developer — all on instructions from a lawyer at the developer's company, Toplace. Shane De Kauwe's testimony offered an unusually candid window into a surveillance operation that reached into the offices of a sitting minister and a senior government regulator.
De Kauwe said he was directed by Sharangan Maheswaran, a Toplace lawyer he described as one of his closest friends, to investigate then-veterans minister David Elliott — seeking evidence of Covid restriction breaches and details of a woman Elliott was allegedly meeting. De Kauwe surveilled Elliott at an Anzac Day parade and found nothing. He also spent six days surveilling building commissioner David Chandler, who had been examining defects in Toplace developments, invoicing Maheswaran $13,400 for the work. Neither Elliott nor Chandler is accused of wrongdoing. Elliott later described De Kauwe in court as the "Maxwell Smart of the NSW private investigator industry."
The wider inquiry concerns allegations that three Liberal figures — Christian Ellis, Jeremy Greenwood, and Charles Perrottet — received $2 million in illegal donations from developer Jean Nassif in exchange for political outcomes, including damaging Elliott's career and removing Chandler from his post. Greenwood and Perrottet have denied the donations were linked to favors. Ellis has relocated overseas and is not expected to testify. Nassif, appearing from Beirut after fleeing Australia in 2022, maintained he was "not corrupt."
De Kauwe also provided recording devices to Nassif, Maheswaran, and Greenwood — voice recorder pens and a small key-tag-style gadget available online. He gave Nassif a second device after the first proved too complicated. Nassif wanted to record men he claimed were demanding $5 million on Chandler's behalf in exchange for occupancy certificates — allegations De Kauwe himself doubted, reporting them to a police contact. The commission has found those claims unsubstantiated.
When asked about the legal risks of his work, De Kauwe acknowledged he would sometimes seek legal advice from Maheswaran — the same man who was his client. He saw no conflict. Maheswaran, who denies wrongdoing, is expected to testify later this week as the final witness in nine weeks of public hearings. The inquiry continues.
A private investigator admitted in court this week that he installed hidden cameras without permission and handed over covert recording devices to a fugitive property developer, all while working under instructions from a lawyer connected to the developer's company. Shane De Kauwe's testimony at New South Wales's anti-corruption watchdog, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, laid bare a surveillance operation that targeted a sitting Liberal minister and a senior government official.
De Kauwe told the inquiry on Tuesday that he had been directed by Sharangan Maheswaran, a lawyer and executive at the developer's company Toplace, to investigate David Elliott, then the veterans minister. The stated purpose was to dig up unsubstantiated allegations that Elliott had breached Covid restrictions in 2020 and to identify a woman he was allegedly meeting with—information Maheswaran wanted passed to a journalist. De Kauwe surveilled Elliott at an Anzac Day parade but, as he put it, "didn't find anything." Elliott, who is not accused of wrongdoing, later described De Kauwe in court as the "Maxwell Smart of the NSW private investigator industry."
The surveillance work escalated. In 2022, De Kauwe used a ladder to install a static camera on an apartment building opposite a car park, positioning it to capture the woman's vehicle. He invoiced Toplace $15,000 for the job. When the presiding commissioner asked whether De Kauwe had any authority to install the camera on that building, his answer was blunt: "Correct, no." He had also invoiced Maheswaran $13,400 for six days of surveillance on David Chandler, the former building commissioner, in 2021. Chandler had been scrutinizing defects in Toplace apartments and is not accused of wrongdoing.
The investigation centers on allegations that three Liberal figures—Christian Ellis, Jeremy Greenwood, and Charles Perrottet—received $2 million in illegal donations from Jean Nassif, the fugitive developer, or his company in exchange for political outcomes. Those outcomes allegedly included damaging Elliott's political career and removing Chandler from his position. Greenwood and Perrottet have denied the donations were tied to political favors. Ellis has moved overseas and is not expected to testify. Nassif, appearing from his bedroom in Beirut after fleeing Australia in 2022, insisted he was "not corrupt."
De Kauwe's role extended beyond surveillance. He provided covert recording devices to Maheswaran, Nassif, and Greenwood—devices he described as voice recorder pens and a small square gadget resembling a key tag, readily available online. He gave Nassif a second recording device because, as De Kauwe explained, Nassif "couldn't work the first one." Nassif wanted to record a conversation with two men who were allegedly demanding $5 million on Chandler's behalf in exchange for occupancy certificates for Toplace developments. De Kauwe believed the men were attempting to defraud Nassif rather than acting on Chandler's behalf and reported the allegations to a contact at NSW police. The commission has heard these allegations are unsubstantiated.
De Kauwe, a former Australian federal police officer, described Maheswaran as "one of my best friends," having met him in 2019. He said he was "fairly familiar" with the law governing listening devices but would often seek legal advice—sometimes from Maheswaran, who was also his client in those instances. When counsel assisting the inquiry, Juliet Curtin, pointed out the potential conflict, De Kauwe responded: "At the time, or even now, I trust him implicitly. I wouldn't consider it a conflict."
The inquiry is also investigating whether Maheswaran and fellow Strathfield Labor councillor Karen Pensabene engaged in conduct toward councillor Matthew Blackmore that may have included blackmail and breaches of the Surveillance Devices Act. Maheswaran, who has denied wrongdoing, is expected to continue testifying later this week as the final scheduled witness across nine weeks of public hearings. Pensabene has been released from her summons for medical reasons. The inquiry continues.
Citazioni salienti
He went to the Anzac parade, appeared to me to be doing his job, and we lost him.— Shane De Kauwe, describing his surveillance of David Elliott
You acknowledge you had no authority to install a static camera on the building where you did install it?— Presiding Commissioner Fabian Gleeson, to De Kauwe
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Politics & Governance