Disgraced former MP Maguire guilty of lying to ICAC probe

Former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire has been found guilty of lying to an ICAC probe and is now facing the prospect of being jailed.

Former MP Daryl Maguire is facing the prospect of being jailed after he was found guilty of giving misleading evidence to ICAC.

Maguire, 66, fronted a Sydney court on Friday where he was found guilty by a magistrate of one count of giving false or misleading evidence at a public inquiry.

Maguire, who was the MP for Wagga Wagga from 1999 to 2018, faced a hearing in the Downing Centre Local Court earlier this year where he pleaded not guilty to the lone count.

The case centred on Maguire’s evidence before the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in July 2018.

During the ICAC probe, he denied asking to receive a financial benefit for brokering a property deal at Canterbury.

However, recorded phone conversations led him to admit he had asked for a slice of the profits if the multimillion-dollar deal with a Chinese developer was finalised.

Former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper.

Maguire had argued that he had not given misleading evidence and he answered questions to the best of his ability.

Magistrate Clare Farnan on Friday handed down her judgment, finding him guilty of one count of giving false or misleading evidence at a public inquiry.

Maguire faces a maximum penalty of two years in jail.

The magistrate also rejected an application by Maguire’s legal team on Friday afternoon for a non-publication order which would have kept the verdict under wraps.

Maguire’s lawyers applied for the non-publication order to protect against the possible prejudice to a jury ahead of a separate upcoming trial.

Maguire is also fighting allegations relating to an alleged visa and migration fraud.

He has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and is due to face a District Court trial later this year.

Maguire is facing a maximum penalty of two years in jail. Picture: NewsWire/Nikki Short.

Confusion reigned at the Downing Centre John Maddison Tower court complex on Friday.

Maguire was listed in one courtroom and when his legal team and the prosecution arrived at court, they were told that the matter had to be adjourned until October.

Maguire and his lawyers then left the court complex.

However, they were later called back to another court where Ms Farnan handed down her judgment.

The court was told that there was confusion because the Downing Centre court complex has been closed for four weeks due to damage to electrical infrastructure after the basement was flooded earlier this week, which has thrown thousands of legal matters into turmoil.

Maguire returns to court in August.

The former Wagga Wagga MP resigned from the NSW parliament in 2018 after ICAC launched a separate investigation into his conduct while in office.

The inquiry revealed he had been in a secret five-year “close personal relationship” with ex-Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

She resigned from her position in September 2021 after ICAC announced it would investigate whether she breached the ministerial code of conduct.

The commission found in July 2023 that both Maguire and Ms Berejiklian engaged in serious corrupt conduct.

Originally published as Disgraced former MP Maguire guilty of lying to ICAC probe