Former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian — a senior executive at telco giant Optus — has lost her battle to have findings of serious corrupt conduct against her overturned in the state’s highest civil court.
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) found Premier Berejiklian breached public trust in 2016, 2017 and 2018, including over grant funding, including $5.5 million for gun club project in Wagga Wagga.
The ICAC found Berejiklian and former Wagga Wagga MP Darryl Maguire — who were in a long-time secret relationship — both engaged in “serious corrupt conduct”.
Berejiklian resigned as NSW premier over the matter in October 2021.
The NSW Court of Appeal this morning refused Berejiklian’s year-long bid to have the ICAC’s findings against her overturned, dismissing the case with costs.
She had applied to the Court of Appeal for a judicial review of the ICAC’s findings, which the court has rejected.
Berejiklian announced she would take legal action after the ICAC delivered its report in June last year.
Months after departing as NSW Premier — and before the ICAC investigation was complete — Berejiklian was appointed to a specially created senior executive role at Optus, by the telco’s since ousted CEO Kelly Bayer-Rosmarin.
The Klaxon has asked both Optus chair Paul O’Sullivan and interim CEO Michael Venter, Bayer-Rosmarin’s replacement, whether Berejiklian will remain at the telco giant in her senior executive role.
We have also asked whether Berejiklian has the “full support” of both men.
As previously reported, Optus owner Singtel — which is owned by the Singaporean Government — states it has “zero tolerance” for “corruption in any form”.
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Optus owners Singtel says it has “zero tolerance” for corruption. Source: The Klaxon
The Singtel Group Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy, which applies to Singtel and “each of its subsidiaries” says corruption “in any form” will not be tolerated.
“Singtel adopts a zero tolerance approach to bribery and corruption of any form,” it states.
In the months before resigning as NSW Premier Berejiklian ran a campaign, supported by a large part of the commercial media, pushing the false narrative that she had been attacked by the ICAC because of her choice in Maguire as a partner — rather than because she had been involved in corruption.
“Berejiklian ran a false campaign that she had been targeted over her choice of partner”
Berejiklian has repeatedly refused to comment when contacted by The Klaxon.
The ABC reports Ms Berejiklian’s lawyers highlighted Mr Maguire’s reputation as a “serial pest” in lobbying government members on behalf of his electorate, which was raised during the ICAC public hearings.
Barrister representing the ICAC, Stephen Free SC, said Maguire may have been a serial pest in lobbying but when it came to Berejiklian, Maguire was a “special kind of pest” and had taken advantage of a specific kind of relationship.
“That was obviously in a radically different category from any other relationship between members of a government,” Free reportedly told the court.
To date Berejiklian has made no apology.
More to come…
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