
D-day for disgraced MP Daryl Maguire accused of misleading corruption probe over $48million property deal
Ex-Liberal MP Daryl Maguire has been found guilty of misleading a corruption probe about benefits expected from a $48million property development sale.
The former member for Wagga Wagga, whose clandestine relationship with ex-NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian led to her political downfall, appeared at Sydney 's Downing Centre Courthouse for the verdict on Friday.
Magistrate Clare Farnan found he misled the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption while giving evidence during a hearing in July 2018.
Ms Farnan rejected a bid by Maguire's legal team to suppress the publication of the guilty verdict.
'The interests of the community in open justice is in my view not outweighed by Mr Maguire's interests,' she said.
At ICAC, Maguire was asked about what he expected to get out of the sale of an estimated $48million property development in Campsie in Sydney's southwest.
During the criminal hearing earlier in 2025, prosecutors claimed Maguire flipped during questioning over claims he was not expected to be reimbursed.
ICAC grilled Maguire and others in 2018 under Operation Dasha, which probed allegations of corruption at the local council.
The Wagga Wagga MP resigned from the Berejiklian government after giving evidence, before succumbing to pressure and quitting parliament altogether.
ICAC opened a further probe into Maguire, exposing his secret romantic relationship with Ms Berejiklian in 2020.
She also stood down from her role and was later found by ICAC to have breached public trust in failing to disclose the relationship, spanning at least five years while she was transport minister, treasurer and then premier.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Trio face jury verdict in tense retrial ten years after the gruesome 'Toolbox murder' of an Aussie man and woman
For hours, three men played video games and drank whiskey as Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru lay bound in a toolbox nearby. The pair had been beaten, stabbed and choked before they were stuffed into the two metre-long container. They were likely 'screaming for their lives' when the toolbox was later dumped in a lagoon south of Brisbane in January 2016. Almost 10 years later, Stou Daniels, Davy Malu Junior Taiao and Trent Michael Thrupp were found guilty of the pair's murder for a second time. They faced a retrial in Brisbane after the Court of Appeal set aside murder convictions in July 2024. Mr Breton, 28, and Ms Triscaru, 31, had been lured to a residential unit at Kingston, south of Brisbane, before being attacked by a group of men. 'It was torturous. They were assaulted when they arrived and throughout the day... while bound with cable ties and duct tape,' Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the weeks-long trial that concluded with Friday's verdicts. They were attacked, interrogated and threatened over a drug dealing dispute. When Ngatokoona Mareiti arrived at the unit to buy drugs, Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru were sitting bound on the couch. Sent away to buy whiskey, by the time Mareiti returned she could not see the pair and assumed they were in the toolbox at the unit. They drank and played video games as the bound pair were held captive in the container nearby. 'We drank the alcohol... they had a PlayStation there,' Mareiti told the jury. Cloths and bleach used to clean bloodstains in the unit were thrown into the toolbox before it was taken away with Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru still inside. The terrified pair made so much noise as the container was being moved, music from an awaiting ute was turned up in a bid to conceal it. 'The transition of the toolbox to a HiLux utility vehicle attracted attention from those present at the unit complex - there was noise emanating from the toolbox,' Mr Crane said. 'There was music used from the HiLux to cover up the sound.' Thrupp either threw the toolbox weighed down by concrete into nearby Scrubby Creek or was present when it happened, Mr Crane said. Daniels and Taiao were also liable for murder by forcing the victims into the toolbox hours before their deaths, he said. Police divers found the bodies locked in the toolbox submerged in the creek two weeks later. 'Most likely the two... were alive and screaming for their lives when they were placed in the creek,' Justice Peter Davis said in 2020 when sentencing Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, who drove the ute to the creek. 'It is haunting to imagine the moment that the toolbox slipped under the water, plunging the night into silence.' Daniels, Taiao and Thrupp each pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder at their retrial. The jury on Friday returned its verdict after deliberating since 10.45am Wednesday. The trio will be sentenced on Thursday. Overall seven men and a woman were charged over what became known as the 'toolbox murders'. Tahiata received a life sentence for murder, unsuccessfully appealing the conviction in April 2024. Mareiti, Webbstar Latu, Tepuna Tupuna Mariri and Waylon Ngaketo Cowan Walker were found guilty of manslaughter. However, Walker had his convictions overturned in July 2024.


The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Malaysian court drops money laundering charges against jailed ex-leader Najib Razak
A Malaysian court dropped three money laundering charges against jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak on Friday, in a case linked to the multibillion-dollar looting of a state fund. Najib was previously convicted in a graft case tied to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad state fund, or 1MBD, and began serving time in 2022, after losing his final appeal. He also faces other graft trials. The High Court 's decision to drop the charges alleging Najib received 27 million ringgit ($6.3 million) in illegal proceeds to his bank accounts came after procedural delays by the prosecution, which saw the case dragging on for six years, Najib's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said. Prosecutors could not give the court a timeline for when they will be ready for the trial, he added. Prosecutors reserve the right to revive charges against Najib and a discharge does not mean an acquittal, Shafee said. But, Najib was happy and can now focus on the main 1MDB trial, he added. Najib set up 1MDB shortly after taking power in 2009. Investigators allege that more than $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by his associates to finance Hollywood films and extravagant purchases. The scandal upended Najib's government and he was defeated in the 2018 election. Last November, the High Court also discharged Najib and the former treasury chief in another 1MDB-linked corruption case after repeated delays by the prosecution. The pair can still be charged for the same offence in the future. In 2023, Najib was acquitted on separate charges of tampering with a government audit into 1MDB. Najib was sentenced to 12 years in jail in his first graft trial but the sentence was halved by the Pardon Boards in 2024. Najib alleged the board had issued a home arrest order for him to complete his sentence at home, but the case is still being heard in court. Najib awaits his verdict in another key case that ties him directly to the 1MDB scandal, which has prompted investigations in the U.S. and several other countries. The defense in May closed their case on four charges of abuse of power to obtain over $700 million from 1MDB that went into Najib's bank accounts, and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount. Closing arguments are scheduled in October, after which the court will set a date for verdict.


Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Major update after British couple faced being deported from Australia over devastating diagnosis
A British couple who have spent nearly a decade in Australia have been granted permanent residency, avoiding deportation in a last-minute decision by the federal government. Rob O'Leary and Jessica Mathers, who met while working in Sydney in 2017, were concerned they might be forced to return to the UK due to visa issues linked to Jessica's medical condition. But on Thursday, they took to social media to share their visas were approved: 'We are proud to announce we are Australia's newest permanent residents!' 'This morning, we received the life-changing news we've been hoping for, our visa has been granted!' The couple's immigration struggle had started in 2020 after Ms Mathers was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). The condition is a chronic and degenerative disease which affects the central nervous system, disrupting the brain's ability to communicate with the body. Ms Mathers received treatment in Australia under the Reciprocal Health Care Arrangement with the UK, which gives British citizens access to some Medicare services. When the couple applied for permanent residency, officials rejected the application and cited her MS diagnosis. The potential future cost of Ms Mathers' condition to the Australian economy formed the basis for the refusal. After they lost their appeal to overturn the decision in 2023, legal advice suggested the couple's case had little chance of success without direct ministerial involvement. The couple then decided to launch a public campaign to stay in Australia. Their story struck a chord with thousands of supporters, and a petition calling on the government to intervene attracted over 27,000 signatures. With their visas now secured, the pair have credited local Wentworth MP Allegra Spender for her advocacy behind the scenes. 'She shared that the Minister for Immigration, Tony Burke, personally contacted her to confirm the decision!' they said on Facebook, thanking the politician for her support. The pair said the decision has finally allowed them to turn the page after nearly five years of uncertainty and fighting to remain in Australia. 'Rob has proudly called Australia home for nearly 10 years, and Jess for 8,' they said. 'We're so grateful that our contributions have been recognised, and that we can finally move forward with clarity and security.' The prolonged visa battle meant the couple had to put their life on pause as they faced the threat of being deported at any moment. 'There are so many things we've put on hold, just in case we had to leave,' they said. 'But now, with this door wide open, we feel more focused and excited than ever to build our future in the country we love.' They also shared that their families back in the UK were overjoyed by the news and are already planning visits to celebrate with them in person. Now on holiday to mark their eighth anniversary as a couple, Rob and Jess said they plan to host a special celebration with family and friends to mark the milestone. A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs told Daily Mail Australia they do not comment on individual cases for privacy reasons. 'All non-citizens who wish to enter or remain in Australia must satisfy the requirements of the Migration Act 1958 (the Act) and Migration Regulations 1994, including identity, health, security and character requirements,' they said.