ICAC: Former Daryl Maguire staffer Rebecca Cartwright’s office raided after hidden evidence admission
Police escorted former staffer of disgraced MP Daryl Maguire to her office after her explosive ICAC revelation.
Police have raided the office of the secretary for the NSW government whip after she admitted at a corruption inquiry she had hidden evidence at the request disgraced former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire.
The explosive scenes emerged after questioning of Mr Maguire’s former staffer Rebecca Cartwright, who told the Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing she had hidden a hard drive containing evidence that could implicate her former boss and herself.
The counsel assisting the inquiry, Scott Robertson, asked for Ms Cartwright to be immediately escorted to Parliament House under police supervision in order to retrieve the evidence.
“You agreed to assist Mr Maguire in concealing potentially damaging material by hiding the hard drive and not drawing that to the attention of this commission?,” Mr Robertson said.
“He wanted it to effectively disappear for all intents and purposes. And you agreed to assist him in relation to that, correct?”
“I did not think I was doing that. I just put it away,” Ms Cartwright replied.
It is the first time Ms Cartwright had told ICAC about the evidence.
The revelation came during the final moments of Ms Cartwright’s time giving evidence about her time working in Mr Maguire’s parliamentary office.
After being asked when the last time she’d been in contact with Mr Maguire, Ms Cartwright said he had called her around August 2018.
“He was angry with ICAC and angry he wasn’t going to be a Liberal MP. He said there would be a hard drive coming to me,” she said.
When asked why she hadn’t told the Commission about the evidence beforehand, Ms Cartwright said she had forgotten about the hard drive.
“He didn’t want it to be sent. So I just kept it. So it wasn’t that I was trying to keep it from anybody. I didn’t want to lose it. I just kept it,” Ms Cartwright replied.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating the former Wagga Wagga MP over allegations he misused his position in parliament in pursuit of his own financial interests and those of his business associates.
The inquiry is ongoing.
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