Former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire has been found guilty of giving false information to a corruption probe regarding the benefits he expected from a $48 million property development sale. Maguire, whose secret relationship with the former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian resulted in his political downfall, appeared at Sydney’s Downing Centre Court for the verdict on Friday. Magistrate Clare Farnan ruled that Maguire misled the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) during a hearing in July 2018. Farnan rejected a request from Maguire’s legal team to keep the guilty verdict confidential, stating that the public’s interest in open justice outweighed Maguire’s interests. During the ICAC inquiry, Maguire was questioned about his expectations from the sale of a property development worth an estimated $48 million in Campsie, a suburb in Sydney’s southwest. The inquiry, codenamed Operation Dasha, investigated allegations of corruption at the local council. Maguire resigned from the Berejiklian government following his testimony and later quit parliament under pressure. ICAC later exposed Maguire’s secret romantic relationship with Berejiklian in 2020. Berejiklian also stepped down from her position and was subsequently found by ICAC to have violated public trust for failing to disclose her relationship with Maguire, which lasted for at least five years while she served in multiple high-ranking government positions.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jun/20/daryl-maguire-found-guilty-misleading-corruption-inquiry-ntwnfb
