Berejiklian ICAC report delayed until after election

More than a year after Gladys Berejiklian faced public hearings, ICAC says its report into the former premier’s relationship with disgraced MP Daryl Maguire will be delayed again.

A corruption probe into Gladys Berejiklian will be delayed until after the state election after the Independent Commission Against Corruption announced it was “unlikely” to finalise its report on the former Premier before April.

The ICAC’s Operation Keppel first began public hearings into disgraced former MP Daryl Maguire in September 2020 – leading to Ms Berejiklian’s explosive revelations that she had been in a “close personal relationship” with the former Wagga Wagga MP.

A year later, the inquiry was expanded to investigate Ms Berejiklian herself, including whether she broke the law by failing to report her then-lover to the corruption watchdog.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the ICAC spokeswoman said the Operation Keppel report is still not finished.

“Substantial parts of the report have been drafted,” the statement said.

Gladys Berejiklian pictured after appearing at ICAC as a witness in 2020. Picture: Toby Zerna

“It is necessary that the issues relevant to the investigation are addressed carefully.”

“It is not possible to specify a date by which it will be completed,” the ICAC spokeswoman said.

The ICAC said it was “unlikely” to be finished before April.

“On the information presently available the Commission anticipates it is more likely to be (finalised) in the second quarter of 2023.”

Ms Berejiklian was in a secret relationship with Daryl Maguire until 2020.

That means that any findings into Ms Berejiklian’s conduct will be delayed until after the NSW state election on March 25.

Ms Berejiklian has consistently denied wrongdoing.

The ICAC said it was “conscious” of its legal obligations to finalise its reports “as soon as possible after the Commission has concluded its involvement in a matter”.

The statement acknowledged that other ICAC investigations could “overlap” with finalising the Operation Keppel report, but insisted that “the Commission will take all available action to ensure there is no delay to the Keppel report caused by any bottleneck that might arise”.