‘Notorious’ fugitive Sydney developer’s daughter avoids jail over loan deception

Ashlyn Nassif avoided prison after admitting she sent Westpac a falsified document to help secure a $150 million loan for Toplace, the construction company owned by her father, fugitive developer Jean Nassif.

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He has become notorious in this state.

The former solicitor and Toplace executive pleaded guilty in June to publishing false or misleading material to obtain an advantage. The document misstated the number of pre-sold units required for the loan. Nassif also acknowledged that some deposits represented only 5 percent of the units' value.

Judge Christopher Halburd imposed a six-month community corrections order without supervision. He said the 32-year-old was remorseful and emphasized that the sentence concerned the one document she sent, not her father's conduct. Nassif had provided the document after her father became angry when she failed to send it as he had instructed.

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This defendant is not some sort of proxy for her father.

In a letter to the court, Nassif described how her relationship with her father shaped her decision. The judge said she had breached the trust attached to her position as a solicitor, but accepted that she had acted under pressure. Her lawyer, Warwick Korn, told the court, “Her career's finished.”

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She's being sentenced not in relation to what he did. She's being sentenced for that one document that she didn't sign that she sent off under pressure from her father.

The sentencing hearing also examined the family environment. Former employees described Jean Nassif as foul-mouthed and a bully who abused his daughter almost daily. An affidavit from Nassif's mother described similar behavior at home, including pressure over her weight and demands that she undergo cosmetic surgery. Halburd called Jean Nassif a “somewhat tyrannical father” who appeared to have escaped justice, while describing the case as complex and difficult to sentence. A psychologist's report about the effect of her father on Nassif's mental health was also relevant to the decision.

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Her career's finished.