Premier’s lover admits to top role in ‘bags of cash’ visa scam

Daryl Maguire ran a ‘cash for visas’ business out of his parliament office while boasting access to the highest levels of government.

Daryl Maguire leaves ICAC in a Sydney taxi on Wednesday. Picture: Brett Costello

Gladys Berejiklian’s former boyfriend ran a “cash for visas” business out of his parliamentary office while boasting access to the highest levels of government, a venture that saw him receive tens of thousands of dollars in “success fees” by lying to immigration officials.

In a stunning day of evidence that will place further pressure on Ms Berejiklian’s future as NSW Premier, former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire admitted to a string of allegations concerning potential illegal conduct and the misuse of public office to obtain personal benefits.

As Mr Maguire conceded to a multitude of professional failings in the ICAC witness box, Ms Berejiklian aggressively defended her conduct at a heated press conference during which she emphatically sought to distance herself from her former boyfriend.

“My tolerance for answering questions which, frankly, are offensive, is waning,” she said. “He fooled a lot of people because, clearly, he was conducting activities he shouldn’t have and many people were not aware of.”

Publicly the Premier continues to be supported by her frontbench ministers, who defended her at length during a no-confidence motion moved by the NSW opposition in both houses of parliament on Wednesday. Both motions were defeated.

Privately there are enduring doubts about her future, and concern about the government’s re-election prospects. Mr Maguire’s evidence, which will continue on Thursday, is likely to influence whether a leadership change will occur.

Mr Maguire admitted acting as a de facto company director during his time as an elected MP, using tactics to keep his directorship of the business concealed, and using parliamentary resources, including his staff, to set up meetings for the company, known as G8wayinternational.

In NSW, MPs and ministers are permitted to hold some secondary employment or involvement in businesses, such as work as a medical professional or a lawyer, but these roles must be declared to ensure no conflict between their public and private roles.

“Do you agree that on more than one occasion, you received deliveries in your Parliament House office of thousands of dollars in cash associated with a scheme involving the obtaining of Australian visas for Chinese nationals?” asked counsel assisting the inquiry, Scott Robertson.

“Yes,” Mr Maguire responded.

Gladys Berejiklian outside NSW Parliament House in Sydney on Wednesday. Picture: Getty Images

He admitted that he took steps to hide his involvement in the company and accepted cash drop-offs of up to $20,000 for its work organising visas for Chinese nationals. The applicants would pay a fee upfront to Mr Maguire’s company, which would then find a business to sign forms taking them on as a worker. That money would then be returned to the applicant as wages, without them having to take part in any work.

“An essential element of this scheme … was potentially lying to immigration officials, do you agree?” Mr Robertson asked.

“Yes,” Mr Maguire said in reply. He agreed with a proposition from Mr Robertson that these activities were a “breach of public trust”.

In addition to this service, the company, which had interests in a range of sectors, claimed to offer influence and experience that reached to “high levels of ¬government”.

Mr Maguire conceded this was a reference to himself. “It would have to be me,” he said.

The admissions were made on the first of three scheduled hearing days involving Mr Maguire, who maintained a years-long relationship with the Premier, which continued for two years after he left parliament over corruption allegations in 2018.

The first day of the hearing did not deal with this relationship in depth, though it is expected to be revisited in subsequent sessions.

Critics of the Premier, both within her government and outside of it, argue that she had access to ample evidence that was suggestive of conflicts of interest and should have been reported to authorities. Others have said she should have discontinued the relationship much earlier.

In response, she has consistently claimed she was unaware of any wrongdoing or conflicts on Mr Maguire’s part. Had she known she would have acted, she said repeatedly on Wednesday.

The hearings have aired ¬numerous recordings indicating the Premier was in part aware of her boyfriend’s advocacy for property developers and commission entitlements from the sale of land, some of which was controlled by the government.

As far back as 2014, Ms Berejiklian sent Mr Maguire text messages congratulating him on one such arrangement which saw the sale of a motel.

Normally neutral in tone, the Premier became frustrated with journalists while answering questions about Mr Maguire and whether she held a responsibility to pursue suspicions about his dealings further.

“I will not have innuendo put to me which I have found offensive, but in due course I have accepted to answer everything because it’s in the public interest,” she said.

“Never, ever have I done anything wrong in relation to my position. Never ever have I tolerated anybody else doing anything wrong, and if I ever saw it, or witnessed it, or knew about it, of course I would have taken action.”

Daryl Maguire, top right, fronts ICAC in Sydney on Wednesday

She also appealed to the public to maintain their faith in her leadership.

“I apologise for the distraction, it was out of my control,” she said. “I never have, and never would, do anything wrong by the people of this state. I’ve been overwhelmed by the comments and reports I have received.”

The Australian revealed on Wednesday that Ms Berejiklian might have misled ICAC during her evidence on Monday, after telling the hearing she had no recollection of a developer by the name of “Sunito”.

A photograph depicting Ms Berejiklian at a ribbon-cutting event in 2017 with Iwan Sunito, chief executive of residential developer Crown Group, appeared to contradict this account.

“As Premier I am in photos and meetings and whatever else with many people I do not know, because that is my role,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Labor MP Julia Finn, the member for Parramatta, attended the event and said the Premier gave a speech that mentioned the size and success of Mr Sunito’s company. “When she shook Iwan’s hand as she took to the stage, she did it in a very familiar matter,” she said. It was not at all as though this was the first time they had met. They had a warm interaction.”