Daryl Maguire, former MP, has conspiracy charge mentioned in court ahead of ICAC finding

A former NSW MP and secret lover of Gladys Berejiklian has not appeared at court just days before the findings from an investigation into himself and the former premier are set to be released.

Daryl Maguire was charged in November with one count of conspiracy to commit an offence, but did not face Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday.

Mr Maguire is alleged to have falsified documents between January 2013 and August 2015 when he was a state MP for Wagga Wagga.

Jim Harrowell AM, appearing at court for Mr Maguire as the former MP stayed away, told the court he had just been given 43,000 pages of evidence that he will need to go through.

“A significant part of the evidence relates to a mobile phone … contains 43,000 pages I’m told,” Mr Harrowell told the court.

“It will take some time to look at that.”

Documents tendered to the court states Mr Maguire allegedly conspired with a woman named Maggie Sining Logan to “cause to be furnished, for official purposes of the Commonwealth, documents in connection with applications for visas permitting non-citizens to remain in Australia”.

The documents allegedly contained information which was “false or misleading in materials particular”.

The offences allegedly took place between January 2013 and August 2018. Mr Maguire resigned from parliament on August 3 of that year.

The charge comes after the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) launched Operation Keppel to investigate allegations Mr Maguire engaged in a “conduct that involved a breach of public trust by using his public office and the use of parliamentary resources to improperly gain a benefit for himself or others close to him”.

This is separate to the charge mentioned in court today.

The findings are set to be handed down on Thursday.

Mr Maguire served as the Liberal member for Wagga Wagga from 1999 to 2018.

The inquiry revealed he had been in a relationship with Ms Berejiklian, prompting her to resign from the role after ICAC revealed she was also being investigated.

She has repeatedly denied engaging in any wrongdoing.

The ICAC is set to decide whether she breached the trust of the public or turned a blind eye to alleged corruption by Mr Maguire, claims she has consistently and categorically denied.

Ms Berejiklian is not suspected of any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any offences.

Outside court, Mr Harrowell told media people could get confused of ICAC’s role as it “doesn’t decide whether anyone has committed an offence”.

Mr Harrowell said there has been no finding of corruption against Mr Maguire at this stage.

He also said his client “won’t be interviewed”.

“It’s entirely inappropriate to be interviewed … the events that occurred in that high profile case in Canberra show that there are considerable risks for the whole system in having interviews ahead of any legal proceedings,” Mr Harrowell said.

“Certainly there will be no findings in the ICAC report of criminality or misconduct.”

Mr Harrowell said his client denies he has behaved in a corrupt way.

The matter will return to court in September.

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