AAP
Former NSW MP Daryl Maguire – best known for his secret relationship with “seriously corrupt” former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian – has been jailed for misleading a corruption probe about potential profits from a major property deal.
Maguire was sentenced to a non-parole period of five months on Wednesday. He had not demonstrated any remorse, said Sydney magistrate Clare Farnan.
The disgraced former MP was swiftly released on bail, pending a planned appeal.
Maguire was found guilty of giving misleading evidence at an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry into a Sydney council in 2018.
The misleading evidence canvassed Maguire’s dealings with former Canterbury City councillor Michael Hawatt on a potential property development, in which Maguire could have received about $720,000 in commission.
“His evidence – there was nothing in it for him – was misleading,” Farnan said, when sentencing Maguire this morning.
“In fact, he expected to receive part of a commission if the property was sold.”
Farnan said it was difficult to determine the long-time Wagga Wagga MP’s motivation, as Maguire maintained his innocence and did not give evidence about why he gave the misleading evidence to the ICAC inquiry, codenamed Operation Dasha.
“Mr Maguire was clearly trying to protect his reputation, possibly amongst other things,” she said.
“Mr Maguire was clearly trying to protect his reputation, possibly amongst other things” – Magistrate Clare Farnan
Daryl Maguire leaves court on June 20. Picture: Dean Lewins/AAP
Maguire has not demonstrated any remorse, the magistrate said.
But she found he had good prospects of rehabilitation and was unlikely to reoffend.
Farnan said she would have imposed a 12-month term but for an almost five-year delay in prosecuting the offence.
Maguire’s lawyer indicated an appeal will be filed.
Corrupt former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian arrives at an ICAC Operation Keppel hearing in Sydney in 2021. Picture: Dean Lewins/AAP
Former Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack provided a letter of support for Maguire, telling the court of his hard work ethic and ongoing efforts to benefit the community.
Maguire served in the NSW coalition governments until his retirement in 2018.
He made headlines in 2020 when it emerged he had been in a secret “close personal relationship” for at least five years with Berejiklian, while she was NSW Treasurer and later Premier.
The ICAC discovered the relationship while surveilling Maguire as part of Operation Dasha.
It then launched Operation Keppel, a seperate probe. Berejiklian resigned as NSW Premier over the matter in October 2021.
June 2022, under Operation Keppel, the ICAC found Berejiklian had breached the public trust in 2016, 2017 and 2018, including over grant funding, including $5.5 million for gun club project in Wagga Wagga.
The $5.5m gun club grant a disaster for taxpayers – even a financial albatross for club itself. Source: The Klaxon
Maguire, as Wagga Wagga MP, had heavily lobbied for the gun club grant.
The $5.5m grant, overseen by Berejiklian – who at the time was in a secret long-time romantic relationship with Maguire – was found to have been improperly awarded.
The ICAC found Berejiklian and Maguire had both engaged in “serious corrupt conduct”.
Berejiklian applied to the Court of Appeal for a judicial review of the ICAC’s findings, which the court rejected in 2023.
Singapore’s Optus appointed Berejiklian to a senior role despite the ongoing ICAC probe. Source: The Klaxon
After resigning as NSW Premier over the scandal, before ICAC delivered its findings, Berejiklian was appointed to a specially created, high paying senior executive role at telco giant Optus.
Berejiklian was appointed to the role by then Optus CEO Kelly Bayer-Rosmarin.
Bayer-Rosmarin exited as CEO in November 2023, in the wake of a major network outage.
Optus has been beset by rolling scandals in recent years, including mass data-breaches involving its customers’ personal information.
Optus chair Paul O’Sullivan has repeatedly refused to comment when contacted by The Klaxon over the past three years regarding Berejiklian.
The company is owned by the Singaporean Government.
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Thank you,
Anthony Klan
Editor, The Klaxon
Anthony Klan
Editor, The Klaxon
