A glamorous lawyer who allegedly falsified a $150million construction contract has been banned from contacting her high-profile property developer dad as she’s released on $2.6m bail.
Ashlyn Nassif, 27, faced Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday charged with fraud after four family properties, including her famous father Jeans home and office, were raided yesterday.
Nassif, the managing lawyer of EA Legal Pty Ltd, appeared dishevelled in a pink top and black pants as she faced court from a cell in Surry Hills Police Station.
Magistrate Greg Grogin told Nassif her family was in the court room, with Nassif grinning and waving at the screen, her handcuffs jingling around her wrists.
Glamorous lawyer Ashlyn Nassif (pictured) has spent the night behind bars after being charged with fraud offences on Tuesday before a court appearance on Wednesday
Moments later, her smile was wiped away after Magistrate Grogin added that there was also several members of the media in the gallery to report on the case.
The court heard Nassif, who runs EA Legal Pty Ltd, allegedly submitted fake sales contracts for Castle Hill’s Skyview apartments, in the city’s northwest, in December 2021.
Police will allege the documents included a $10.5m pre-sale condition for the development, which enabled a bank to grant a $150million loan for the build.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by anyone else at the firm or among her family.
Requesting Nassif’s bail, her lawyer Stephen Stanton told Magistrate Grogin it was conceded in the facts that his client received no financial benefit from the alleged fraud.
Magistrated Grogin noted that Nassif has no criminal record, is of good character and is a lawyer of the supreme court of NSW, but described the allegations as ‘serious’ and of a ‘planned and sophisticated’ nature.
Prosecutors did not oppose bail and it was granted but the magistrate ordered strict conditions to mitigate concerns she could interfere with witnesses or fail to show at court.
Under the conditions, Magistrate Grogin said Nassif must surrender her passport prior to release, fork out a $2.6million surety and is banned her from contacting 24 people – one of whom is her father.
She must also live with her mother in Concord, report to Burwood Police Station every day between 8am and 8pm, abide by a 9pm to 6am curfew.
She must not enter or approaching any airport or Australian departure point. She will be released later on Wednesday.
Early on Tuesday, NSW Police executed search warrants on four properties, including her father Jean’s home and business.
Nassif was subsequently questioned for hours after attending Sydney’s Day Street police station before she was later charged.
Nassif spent hours being questioned by police on Tuesday after her business and three other properties were raided by police
Mr Nassif is currently in his home country of Lebanon where he is reportedly recovering from a medical procedure.
A NSW Police statement said the raids occurred at businesses in the Sydney CBD, Concord and Chiswick about 9.30am on Tuesday.
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Nassif then handed herself in to police, was arrested, charged and refused bail.
She has previously worked as a property developer at her father’s company and is a principal of her own law practice,
According to the firm’s website, EA Legal ‘is a multi-disciplinary law firm specialising in property, planning, construction, commercial and estate law’.
In the ‘meet the team’ section, Nassif describes herself as ‘a key advisor of one of Australia’s largest construction and property development companies as well as private investors and developers’.
‘Ashlyn has earned the trust and respect of many established companies and individuals by helping through their complex real estate transactions, property developments, financing and commercial transactions,’ the bio reads.
‘Ashlyn believes in sharing with those in need and is a member of various charitable organisations.’
She also notes she is a committee member of the Property Council of Australia and lists her hobbies as ‘reading, travelling, going to the beach and spending time with family’.
Nassif is next due before court on March 15.
According to her law firm’s website, Nassif ‘heads up EA Legal and is a key advisor of one of Australia’s largest construction and property development companies as well as private investors and developers’
Property developer Jean Nassif has left Australia for rural Lebanon, informing an inquiry committee just days before the parliamentary inquiry into the alleged impropriety of councillors in the Hills Shire Council (pictured with his wife Nisserine Nassif)
Jean Nassif gained prominence in 2019 after giving his second wife Nisserine ‘Nissy’ Nassif a $480,000 yellow Lamborghini for Valentine’s Day.
In 2019, Mr Nassif uploaded a video of him presenting the luxury vehicle to the mother of his children with the comment, ‘Congratulations Mrs Nassif… you like?’
While the flamboyant property developer has been in Lebanon, he missed attending a NSW parliamentary inquiry into the alleged impropriety of local councillors.
The inquiry is into the Hills Shire Council in the city’s north-west and the alleged role councillors played in property developments.
Jean Nassif gained prominence in 2019 after giving his wife Nisserine ‘Nissy’ Nassif (pictured) a $480,000 yellow Lamborghini for Valentine’s Day
Nassif recently wrote to the committee to inform them that he is in a remote part of Lebanon where he’s originally from until March and therefore unable to attend the inquiry, asking for it to be postponed if his evidence was needed.
In the letter, Mr Nassif denied any wrongdoing and said he had ‘not met any of the current councillors of the Hills Shire Council’.
‘I am not aware if they support my developments. I am not aware if they are more or less supportive of my development than the previous councillors.’
Mr Nassif strenuously disputed Castle Hill MP Ray Williams’ claims that he paid large sums of money to elect new councillors to The Hills Shire to support his future development applications.
