Gladys Berejiklian: Daryl Maguire appears at NSW corruption inquiry
A cash racket was run from within the very heart of the NSW state parliament by disgraced MP Daryl Maguire, who also organised access to a former Premier for Chinese Communist Party officials, at a price.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Gladys’ bad romance spin turns a blind eye to evidence
- Liberals nervous over fears Gladys’ affair a security risk
A cash racket was run from within the very heart of the NSW state parliament by disgraced MP Daryl Maguire, who promised high level government access for money, ambushing ministers, extracting bags of cash for dodgy visas and bringing Chinese Communist Party officials into the leader’s office, it has been revealed.
In a day of sensational admissions, the ex-MP agreed to most of the allegations made against him by ICAC, including that on multiple occasions he was delivered bags of cash containing thousands of dollars at his Macquarie St office.
Maguire, who agreed he “monetised” his parliamentary office and government connections via his shadow business company G8way International, also used “coded” text messages such as “come for a red”, to meet with ministerial advisers for “informal” meetings — and even tried to meddle with government appointments on planning boards to help “mates”.
Maguire also organised a Chinese Communist Party government delegation from Liaoning Province to meet then-Premier Barry O’Farrell and sent them a $5500 “introductory service” invoice, which also included the cost of setting up the function.
It was the same Liaoning Province party apparatchiks who had in September 2009 helped pay for one of his many junkets to China.
Led by Maguire, the Chinese delegation met Mr O’Farrell in his boardroom office but were “unhappy” that the Premier did not turn up to a signing ceremony.
In 2002, Maguire also received financial help from the All China Youth Federation to help pay for travel to China.
Maguire was asked by ICAC counsel assisting Scott Robertson if his company had ever charged for introductions to NSW Ministers or government officials.
Maguire replied saying, “not with my authority”.
But later he agreed that in fact one of the invoices for the Chinese delegation, who were to be involved in a business project in Wagga Wagga, was for “introducing them to “the Premier of NSW, Mr O’Farrell”. There is no suggestion Mr O’Farrell had any knowledge of Maguire’s activities with his company. Maguire was also asked if he understood he had to update the Premier about his disclosures of his financial records, as part of his job.
“I should have,” he said. “I should have.”
Maguire also traded on his membership of several parliamentary “friendship” societies to plug his own business affairs. This included making $9000, Mr Robertson said, as a commission for helping an Australian wine producer sell $300,000 worth of product to China.
Evidence was given that Maguire’s firm produced a joint wine label with the Chinese Communist Party propaganda arm the Australian Council for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China for an “anniversary special bottling”.
It was sold to someone associated with the council, which was once run by exiled billionaire Huang Xiangmo and has been described in parliament as the peak United Front body in Australia.
Late in the afternoon, ICAC heard an intercepted phone recording from September 2017 with property developer Joseph Alha, who had wanted to set up “policy development meetings” with Premier Gladys Berejiklian to avoid scrutiny that site-specific meetings draw.
“I need, I don’t know how you’re going to do it, I think I need to be privileged to one appointment to Anthony Roberts and to Gladys,” Mr Alha said.
“I’ll ask them tomorrow,” Maguire replied.
He told ICAC he could not remember setting up a meeting with Ms Berejiklian or the Planning Minister Anthony Roberts, but he did organise one with staffer Rob Vellar.
“Mate, having a drink in my office, want to join me for a red?” Maguire texted Vellar.
Mr Vellar, who is not accused of wrongdoing, has testified he felt “ambushed” by Maguire over the meeting, but Maguire said yesterday the phrase was code to him that the developer was in the building and to come for an “informal” meeting.
“I’d discussed with Mr Vellar at least on three or four occasions, and the code was, ‘We’re having a glass of red’,” Maguire said.
ICAC Commissioner Ruth McColl asked: “What do you mean, the code?”
“The code, the message, “Come down to the office.”
Mr Robertson then asked: “But a code suggesting what, what’s it a code for?”
“Well, to tell him that Mr Alha had arrived and, and come down and have a red and a chat.”
At the meeting, Maguire agreed that he had provided a series of names of “shifty characters” that the Minister should not appoint to a new IHAP planning board.
ICAC heard those individuals were “contrary to the commercial interests” of Alha.
“You were attempting to assist Mr Alha’s commercial interests by seeking for two particular individuals to not be appointed to an IHAP,” Mr Robertson asked. “Do you agree?”
“Well, on reflection I have to agree.”
MAGUIRE GIVEN ‘BUNDLES OF CASH’ IN PARLIAMENT
Former MP Daryl Maguire admitted he breached the public trust and risked his Wagga Wagga constituents when he helped run a cash for visa “scam” that saw him receive bundles of cash while in NSW Parliament House.
But the former politician also tried to convince the corruption watchdog he wanted the scheme on the straight and narrow despite his alleged accomplice advising him the would bend the rules to get paid.
It’s also been alleged a current staffer, who was sensationally marched to ICAC to hand over a concealed hard drive last month, was on Maguire’s secret payroll.
Maguire is giving evidence at the Independent Commission Against Corruption as the final witness of the month long investigation into allegations he acted corruptly while in office between 2012 and 2018.
He admitted he received cash payments from a woman named Maggie Wang while in Parliament House in relation to a secretive “cash for visas” scheme.
Ms Wang allegedly oversaw a scheme that involved wealthy Chinese people paying tens of thousands of dollars to be put on the books of regional businesses so they could attain Australian visas.
The businesses were largely around Wagga Wagga and procured by Maguire, the ICAC has previously heard.
The businesses would never get their workers but were allegedly paid $30,000 in cash to “shut up” if immigration authorities came knocking.
Maguire told the ICAC that, when Ms Wang told him the workers may not actually show up, he resisted telling her “you cannot put people at risk by breaking the rules”.
But the ICAC heard Maguire continued with the scheme, despite having suspicions the rules were being broken, because it made him money.
“This was a scam because an essential element of this scheme including in the way (your associates) explained it, involved potentially lying to immigration officials,” Counsel Assisting the Commission put to Maguire.
“Yes I agree,” he said.
MORE NEWS:
Wentworthville death: Manhunt after Sabah Hafiz found dead in apartment
Fiona O’Loughlin reveals booze battle while on reality TV
Ms Wang previously told the ICAC she delivered multiple bundles of cash to Maguire in Sydney as his cut for identifying businesses for the scheme.
Maguire said he was “misled” by his associates including Ms Wang but Mr Robertson said an email made it clear the scheme involved lying to immigration officials — and Maguire kept referring businesses anyway.
“You agree it was something quite wrong for you to do noting many of these businesses were constituents of yours,” Mr Robertson said.
“You agree it was a breach of the public trust placed in you to proceed with this immigration scheme … But you did it in your own personal financial interest.”
Maguire agreed.
When asked how many times he received the cash, Maguire could not recall if it was up to 20 times.
“I don’t know,” he said.
The former MP and secret partner of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian earlier told the ICAC he partially “monetised” his office — using Parliamentary staff, resources and time to build an undeclared business called G8wayinternational.
He was shadow director, he said, while his friend Phil Elliott was the official face of the company that was designed to link Australian exporters with Chinese importers and vice-versa.
Maguire said he had used his parliamentary staff, office and resources to advance his own business outside politics — namely G8way.
The former MP said few of his deals were successful but there were varied efforts — and multiple people were expected to share in the profits.
A document before the commission identified G8way would get half the profits of any deals and a small group of individuals including Maguire would share the rest.
Two of Maguire’s staffers, Rebecca Cartwright and Nicole Hatton, were identified as being paid by G8way for their work with the company on one occasion.
The ICAC heard Ms Cartwright was paid $500 and Ms Hatton $300 in 2014 by Maguire.
“G8wayinternational (at that time) was a partnership between multiple people working together to make money,” Mr Robertson said.
Download our app and stay up to date anywhere, anytime
Ms Cartwright made headlines when, at the start of the investigation, she revealed Maguire had asked her to take possession of his parliamentary hard drive and ensure it “gets lost in the post”.
She told investigators she had concealed the hard drive for years, until she took the stand, and was escorted by officers of the commission to her office in the Government Whip’s office in NSW Parliament to surrender the device.
It is unclear what is on the hard drive but the ICAC has previously heard Maguire told his staffers to delete and shred everything when he was ousted from politics in mid-2018.
His secretive partner, Premier Gladys Berejiklian, had ordered his resignation after it emerged he allegedly sought commissions from property developers.
The ICAC heard, on Wednesday, G8way was designed as a network that marketed its access to the “highest levels of government” but Maguire baulked at a suggestion he charged fees to introduce businesses to government officials.
“To your knowledge did G8wayinternational ever charge a fee to a person in exchange for an introduction to a NSW minister or government official?” Counsel Assisting the Commission Scott Roberton asked Maguire on Tuesday.
“Not with my authority they didn’t,” Maguire replied, saying he would have refused it.
Mr Robertson asked why — given Maguire had already admitted to other wrongdoing while in office.
“That would be going too far to do that,” Maguire said.
“Do you seriously draw that distinction?” Mr Robertson asked.
“Yes,” Maguire said.
Maguire admitted he set up meetings for racing royalty Louise Waterhouse with NSW officials so she could seek changes to a massive land parcel in Sydney’s west.
He told the ICAC he hoped he would have been rewarded if Ms Waterhouse’s problems had been solved.
The ICAC showed Maguire invoices and images of a meeting at Parliament House between NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell and a trade delegation from China’s Liaoning province.
Maguire emailed Mr O’Farrell in November 2012 setting up the meeting with the delegation who were looking to sign a $400 million investment in Wagga.
“What I need is for you to meet all the delegation in your boardroom around the table Chinese style with a cup of tea and woo them,” he said.
Images from the event show just that — the then-premier smiling and chatting with the delegation.
Later Maguire’s staff issued two invoices related to the luncheon on G8way letterheads.
The first was for $5500 and mentioned an “introductory service” and the second was for just over $2200 and mentioned room set up and decorations.
Maguire said his only recollection was that the invoices were to recover costs for organising the catered luncheon that included flowers and decoration.
The ICAC previously heard the delegation were left offended when Mr O’Farrell decided not to stay for the lunch and left after an MOU was signed.
PM: ‘WE NEED HER NOW MORE THAN EVER’
The Prime Minister has doubled down on his defence of embattled NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian saying he sympathises with her because of the strong relationship he has with wife Jenny.
“This week she has shown a lot of humility, to be honest that would have been incredibly tough. This is a personal decision. This is one that she regrets and she’s been very upfront with it,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.
“We’re in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic and I think NSW has led the way and Gladys has spearheaded that. Right now is when NSW needs Gladys Berejiklian more than ever.
“Not everybody is as fortunate as others in their personal lives and I know I’ve been very fortunate in that area – we might put that down to Jenny (his wife).”
