ICAC Operation Rosny as it happened: Former Toplace lawyer Sharangan Maheswaran denies weaponising Jean Nassif extortion claims

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McSweeney, J. (2026, September 24). ICAC Operation Rosny as it happened: Former Toplace lawyer Sharangan Maheswaran denies weaponising Jean Nassif extortion claims. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/icac-operation-rosny-live-updates-former-toplace-lawyer-sharangan-maheswaran-to-resume-evidence-about-jean-nassif-recordings-20260924-p6102c.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

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Quick Summary

Former Toplace lawyer and Strathfield councillor Sharangan Maheswaran is back in the witness box for ICAC’s Operation Rosny hearings today, facing questions about a secret recording made by his former boss Jean Nassif which he claims shows an extortion attempt. Yesterday, Maheswaran disputed a transcript of a recorded conversation between Nassif and a contractor named Navid Ardestani, arguing it did not reflect the evidence he believed was on the tape. Today, the hearing is expected to play the actual audio recording to clarify what occurred during that meeting. The article also recaps previous testimony where Maheswaran said he informed ICAC commissioner David Chandler about alleged extortion attempts but did not report them to police as Nassif preferred another approach.

Written by AI on 2026-09-24, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

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Story summary

In NSW, the ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) is investigating an alleged $5 million extortion attempt involving property developer Jean Nassif and former Toplace contractor Navid Ardestani. During recent hearings, counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC questioned Sharangan Maheswaran, a former Toplace executive, about text exchanges purportedly showing Ardestani seeking payment for contractors rather than engaging in extortion. Maheswaran denied the allegation of extortion during his third day of testimony at ICAC's Operation Rosny hearings on June 13 and contested the interpretation of recorded conversations as evidence of attempted extortion against Nassif. The investigation also revealed that Maheswaran had offered a consultant $1000 to publish a story accusing MP David Elliott of breaching COVID restrictions, though Elliott is not accused of wrongdoing.

Written for “ICAC Investigation Extortion Claims” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 ICAC Investigation Extortion Claims

Crime & Law · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

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This article reads unscored and hedges 13% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

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“The articles cover different aspects of Operation Rosny: Article A discusses Sharangan Maheswaran denying weaponizing extortion claims, while Article B focuses on Toplace paying $134,000 for surveillance of a former mayor.”

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“The articles describe different days and aspects of the ICAC Operation Rosny hearings involving Sharangan Maheswaran, with Article A focusing on Shane De Kauwe's testimony about surveillance and Article B summarizing the ongoing proceedings where Maheswaran denies weaponizing Jean Nassif’s claims.”

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Hedges 2 of 24 claims Outlet record 66/100

“While both articles relate to testimony at the ICAC hearings about Operation Rosny involving Sharangan Maheswaran, Article A focuses on a specific offer of $1,000 to spread rumors about a minister, whereas Article B provides an overview and summary of the day's proceedings without focusing on that particular incident.”

ICAC Operation Rosny LIVE updates: Former Toplace lawyer Sharangan Maheswaran to continue evidence Different event

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Hedges 1 of 6 claims Outlet record 61/100

“Article A focuses on Sharangan Maheswaran's testimony and denial of weaponizing Jean Nassif's extortion claims, while Article B discusses unexpected mentions of a figure named 'Crazy Dave Lima' during the hearing.”

Nassif’s Toplace paid $134,000 for surveillance of Strathfield mayor Different event

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Hedges 5 of 25 claims Outlet record 61/100

“Article A covers Sharangan Maheswaran denying weaponizing Jean Nassif's extortion claims during ICAC hearings, while Article B discusses Toplace paying for surveillance of Strathfield mayor unrelated to the specific incident described in Article A.”

Private investigator told police about alleged extortion attempt against Jean Nassif Different event

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Hedges 3 of 24 claims Outlet record 61/100

“The articles cover related events but different parts of an ongoing investigation. Article A discusses a private investigator providing information to police about alleged extortion, while Article B focuses on Sharangan Maheswaran's denial and testimony regarding weaponizing the extortion claims.”

‘A thousand bucks for smear story’: Cash offered for negative Elliott coverage Different event

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“Article A describes Sharangan Maheswaran offering money for negative coverage of David Elliott, while Article B covers public hearings where Maheswaran is being questioned about alleged extortion claims by his former boss Jean Nassif. These appear to be different parts of the larger investigation.”

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“The articles cover different days of the hearing and focus on distinct aspects: one focuses on denying lying about the cheque, while the other is about weaponizing extortion claims.”

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

13%

2 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

61/100

The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Crime & Law

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

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Who wrote this

Jessica McSweeney

25 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

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🔮 A private investigator invoiced Jean Nassif’s development company $134,000 for surveillance of the former Strathfield mayor, with then-Labor councillor Sharangan Maheswaran convincing Toplace to pay the bill.

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Also by Jessica McSweeney

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 25 articles by Jessica McSweeney →

Claims (15 extracted, 2 hedged)

I’m state politics reporter Jessica McSweeney, and I’ll be bringing you all the latest updates as they happen inside the hearing room. asserted

they → ’m → room

Today former Toplace lawyer and Strathfield councillor Sharangan Maheswaran returns to the witness box after a long day of questioning yesterday about his use of private investigators, and a secret recording made by his former boss Jean Nassif, which purported to show evidence of an extortion attempt. asserted

which → return → attempt

Yesterday Maheswaran protested that a transcript, prepared by the ICAC of a recorded conversation between Nassif and his supposed extorter, did not reflect the evidence he believed was on the tape. asserted

he → protest → tape

This morning we’re likely to hear the actual audio played to the commission to get to the bottom of what really happened in that meeting. asserted

what → ’re → meeting

Before then, here’s a recap of what we covered yesterday: asserted

we → ’ → what

- Toplace lawyer Sharangan Maheswaran offered government relations consultant Jeremy Greenwood $1000 if he could convince a journalist to publish a story about the MP David Elliott supposedly breaching COVID restrictions with a mystery woman. uncertain

MP → offer → woman

Elliott is not accused of wrongdoing. asserted

Elliott → accuse → wrongdoing

- Jean Nassif alleged a contractor, who was chasing him for money he believed he was owed, was also attempting to extort him for $5 million, to be paid to a third party, in exchange for getting the building commissioner to drop a prohibition order against his development. asserted

commissioner → allege → development

Maheswaran told the then-commissioner, David Chandler, about the alleged extortion attempt but did not report it to police. asserted

Maheswaran → tell → police

- A transcript of a conversation recorded by Nassif with the contractor Navid Ardestani did not show any proof of such extortion attempt, Peggy Dwyer, SC, suggested. uncertain

Dwyer → record → attempt

Text messages also showed Ardestani saying he didn’t do anything illegal and didn’t make any threats. asserted

he → show → threats

Maheswaran insisted extortion or bribery threats were made, just not over text, and asked the ICAC to play an audio recording tomorrow which he believes will show references to a $5 million payment being requested. asserted

he → insist → payment

- Maheswaran told the commission Nassif didn’t want to go to the police about the extortion allegation. asserted

Nassif → tell → allegation

Instead, Maheswaran told Chandler, who he hoped would refute any suggestion he was connected to the extortion attempt which would then put Nassif’s mind at ease, and deter him from paying $5 million to unnamed third party. asserted

which → tell → party

Chandler insisted Maheswaran go to the police if Toplace had any such evidence. asserted

Toplace → insist → evidence

ICAC Operation Rosny as it happened: Former Toplace lawyer Sharangan Maheswaran denies weaponising Jean Nassif extortion claims

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Claims (15 extracted, 2 hedged)