Gladys’s corrupt ex to face trial
A former NSW MP and secret lover of Gladys Berejiklian will go to trial to fight allegations he falsified documents while in office.
Daryl Maguire was charged in November 2022 with one count of conspiracy to commit an offence.
Mr Maguire is alleged to have falsified documents between January 2013 and August 2015 when he was a state MP for Wagga Wagga.
He appeared on Tuesday in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court via audiovisual link while his lawyer Jim Harrowell AM told the court he is being committed to stand trial in the District Court.
“Mr Maguire today I am committing you to stand trial in the District Court in Sydney, it’s on the single count of under the Criminal Code Act and Migration Act,” the magistrate confirmed.
Documents tendered to the court state Mr Maguire conspired with migration agent Maggie 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 that was “false or misleading in materials particular”.
The Australian Border Force alleges the pair ran the racket between January 2013 and August 2015, although Ms Logan is charged with continuing the fraudulent activity until 2017.
Mr Maguire resigned from parliament on August 3, 2018.
Ms Logan has not entered a plea. The 54-year-old is facing 40 charges related to her alleged involvement in delivering official visa documents containing false statements over the four-year period.
Mr Maguire was the Wagga Wagga MP from 1999 to 2018 when he resigned after an Independent Commission Against Corruption investigation into his conduct while in office.
The ICAC inquiry heard allegations he and Ms Logan were involved in a cash-for-visas scheme involving payouts worth tens of thousands of dollars.
It was also revealed in the inquiry that Mr Maguire had been in a five-year romantic relationship with the then NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian.
She resigned from her position in September 2021 after the anti-corruption body announced it would investigate whether she breached the ministerial code of conduct.
Ms Berejikian has repeatedly denied engaging in any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any offences.
Mr Maguire was found by ICAC that he engaged in “serious corrupt conduct” in July 2023.
He issued a statement in the days following, saying he was “very proud of his many achievements serving the electorate of Wagga and NSW” and advocated for the “presumption of innocence”.
“Let it not be forgotten that during his time representing the people of Wagga and region he worked tirelessly for his constituents,” the two-page statement read.
“Indeed, he was described in evidence as a dog with a bone, a vociferous advocate for the electorate or a pain in the arse when it came to getting improvements for the Wagga electorate.”
Mr Maguire will face the District Court for the first time in April.
