ICAC flags further hearings on Daryl Maguire

The investigation into disgraced former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire is ongoing, says the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Gladys Berejiklian and Daryl Maguire in 2015. Picture: The Daily Advertiser

The investigation into disgraced former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire is ongoing, says the Independent Commission Against Corruption, flagging possible further public hearings on the matter.

A brief statement published to ICAC’s website on Tuesday afternoon said: “The commission’s Operation Keppel investigation is ongoing. No further comment will be provided at this stage.”

After an explosive month of hearings at a corruption inquiry culminated in revelations the former Wagga Wagga MP and Premier Gladys Berejiklian were in a “close, personal relationship”, the corruption watchdog was supposed to hand down its preliminary submissions on December 7 last year.

However, three days before that deadline, ICAC put its timeline on hold, before later stating it would expand the probe and take “further investigative steps”.

Since the decision to delay the inquiry, several further pieces of information have come to light. The Australian revealed Ms Berejiklian was personally briefed that two ministerial advisers were making disclosures to ICAC about Mr Maguire — two years before the Premier was forced to disclose their relationship.

One Nation leader Mark Latham also referred Mr Maguire to ICAC for failing to obtain approval to travel overseas from Ms Berejiklian. While claiming to represent the NSW government, Mr Maguire allegedly used the trips to try to stitch together business deals on behalf of Chinese property developers.

The Premier is required under ministerial guidelines to personally approve all travel for ministers and parliamentary secretaries.

Despite sacking Mr Maguire in 2018, Ms Berejiklian came under scrutiny after it was revealed they had been in a relationship for several years. During that period, Mr Maguire told Ms Berejiklian he was trying to clear his debts by pulling together a property deal on behalf of Louise Waterhouse.

The preliminary submissions for the original Operation Keppel inquiry will be handed down at an undisclosed point this year.