The chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW has denied he performed a factory reset on a work phone and iPad to wipe critical evidence for an investigation into allegations of corruption in the New South Wales Liberals, an inquiry has heard.

On Wednesday, Dallas McInerney revealed he had performed the factory reset over the weekend after giving evidence to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) last week.

On Friday, McInerney was asked to provide messages between him and Reformer Jean-Claude Perrottet in 2021, which he has shared with the commission. But when asked on Wednesday if his phone contained messages between him and other Reformers, McInerney revealed he had reset the device, wiping its data, after his bank contacted him on Friday to tell him his account had been “compromised by an unknown merchant”.

He said he performed a factory reset on an iPad, which remained in his possession alongside the phone ahead of being surrendered to Catholic Schools NSW, “in the realisation I’m not likely returning to the company”.

Counsel assisting, Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, put it to McInerney that the move was “a transparent attempt … to wipe evidence that would have been critical for this commission”.

McInerney responded that the inquiry “has been going for almost seven or eight weeks”.

“Had I wanted to do any malfeasance of that nature, I would have had quite a runway to do that. What triggered it was a compromise on my banking alerted to me by the NAB, and I have the case file number for that. I can share that with the commission.”

On Wednesday, the inquiry heard that McInerney, a factional ally of Angus Taylor “pestered” the now-opposition leader for a meeting with a member of a Christian Liberal factional group under investigation for soliciting illegal donations, a corruption inquiry has heard.

McInerney, who last week denied a message about a plan to “shake down Angus” referred to donations to the group, was asked on Wednesday about a 2020 request to help organise a meeting with Taylor by Reformer Christian Ellis.

The inquiry heard on Wednesday that Ellis and Jeremy Greenwood, who ran lobbyist Beckington alongside him, were involved in fundraising efforts in an organisation which raised funds for Taylor and the Liberal party in his seat of Hume.

Icac heard messages between and McInerney and Ellis, who ran Beckington, a registered lobbying company contracted by Catholic Schools NSW, about setting up a meeting between Ellis and Taylor in February 2020, when he was federal energy minister.

After an initial request was unsuccessful, Ellis wrote days later to McInerney: “I know I’m being a pest, but any luck with Angus by any chance? Next Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday?”

McInerney wrote back: “Don’t worry about pestering. That’s how things happen. I’m pestering him [Taylor] big time”.

On Wednesday, McInerney accepted that messages, including one in which Ellis wrote “You’re a legend”, showed it appeared he had secured the meeting with Taylor, an ally in the Liberals’s conservative right faction.

Ellis subsequently wrote to McInerney: “Supposedly Nas is not guaranteed of running for Eden-Monaro. Angus went in. Thanks.”

Counsel assisting, Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, suggested the message showed that Ellis had “some success” in the meeting with Taylor, which Ellis had requested to “discuss his own factional position”.

McInerney said the exchange was “anchored in a presentation on the hydrogen industry”, but was not sure if the meeting related to one of Ellis’s other clients. He said Eden-Monaro was a federal electorate, but he did not know who “Nas” was. Asked if the meeting related to funding for the Reformers, McInerney said he did not recall.

Dwyer revealed that Ellis and Greenwood were involved in fundraising for an organisation described as the “Hume Foundation” or “Hume Forum”, which she said was a body that raised funds for Taylor and the Liberal Party in his federal seat.

McInerney was asked about a 2019 email from the chair of the organisation to Ellis which said “Dallas will sort your dollar arrangements out with AT”. He acknowledged AT referred to Angus Taylor, but said he didn’t recall discussing anything with Ellis, and rejected the suggestion that support for fundraising had been provided to Ellis through the Beckington retainer from Catholic Schools NSW.

Taylor is not named in Icac’s allegations and has repeatedly denied making payments to the Reformers. He has not responded to questions about his knowledge of the Reformers activity, declining to provide a running commentary on Icac’s investigations.

The inquiry heard on Wednesday that Ellis and Jeremy Greenwood, who ran Beckington alongside him, were involved in fundraising efforts in Hume, Taylor’s federal seat.

Icac is investigating the allegation that between 2019 and 2023, members of the Reformers solicited or accepted illegal donations to support the recruitment or renewal of members of the Liberal party.

They wanted more conservative policies on issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion and euthanasia. The inquiry has heard that Catholic Schools paid lobbying companies Beckington, controlled by Ellis and Greenwood, and JPG Advisory, controlled by Greenwood, $265,900 between August 2019 and December 2023.

McInerney accepted Dwyer’s suggestion that messages between him and Reformers included “political machinations”, but he rejected the idea that “years of back and forth … about factional dealings” showed most of the work done by Beckington for Catholic Schools NSW was factional Liberal party work.

“No, [consulting] services were rendered to the company,” he said.

He was asked about an exchange in April 2020 between him and Ellis about an Easter message from Liberal MP for Lindsay, Melissa McIntosh, shared between the two men with the title: “She has the penmanship of a junior high school student”.

In a message to her constituents shared during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, McIntosh wrote: “Today we have hope for our community that no matter how dark things feel, we act together in kindness, support, and in spirit.”

On Wednesday, McInerney said he was a supporter of McIntosh, who is a member of the Liberals centre-right faction, saying he had written references for her when she was “under severe threat of losing her pre-selection”.

In 2020, after Ellis wrote “Hahaha, how is she an MP?”, McInerney responded: “Dumb as dog shit”.

McInerney stood aside from his role as CEO before the Icac hearings began “to allow the work of Catholic Schools NSW to continue its important mission”, he previously said in a statement. Taylor has been contacted for comment.

Icac’s inquiry continues.