Latest news with #MichaelHawatt
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Daryl Maguire learns his fate for lying to corruption probe as magistrate takes aim at Gladys Berejiklian's ex for showing no remorse
A high-profile former MP has been jailed for misleading a corruption probe about potential profits from a major property deal. Daryl Maguire, best known for his secret relationship with Gladys Berejiklian while she was NSW premier, was sentenced to a non-parole period of five months on Wednesday. The former NSW MP was found guilty of giving misleading evidence at an Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry into a Sydney council in 2018. The misleading evidence canvassed Maguire's dealings with former Canterbury City councillor Michael Hawatt on a potential property development, in which Maguire could have received about $720,000 in commission. 'His evidence - there was nothing in it for him - was misleading,' Sydney magistrate Clare Farnan said when sentencing Maguire on Wednesday. 'In fact, he expected to receive part of a commission if the property was sold.' Ms Farnan said it was difficult to determine the long-time Wagga Wagga MP's motivation as Maguire maintained his innocence and did not give evidence about why he gave the misleading evidence. 'Mr Maguire was clearly trying to protect his reputation, possibly amongst other things,' she said. Maguire has not demonstrated any remorse, the magistrate said. But she found he had good prospects of rehabilitation and was unlikely to reoffend. Ms Farnan said she would have imposed a 12-month term but for an almost five-year delay in prosecuting the offence. Maguire's lawyer indicated an appeal will be filed. Former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack provided a letter of support for Maguire, telling the court of his hard work ethic and ongoing efforts to benefit the community. Maguire served in the NSW coalition governments until his retirement in 2018. He made headlines in 2020 when it emerged he had been in a secret 'close personal relationship' for at least five years with Gladys Berejiklian while she was treasurer and then premier.
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Daryl Maguire: Why former Wagga Wagga MP sent to jail?
Why was he jailed? Live Events His political career The person behind the politician (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Former New South Wales MP Daryl Maguire has been sentenced to 10 months in jail for giving misleading evidence to the state's corruption watchdog, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The former Wagga Wagga representative, once a Liberal Party member and later an independent, was found guilty in June of knowingly misleading the inquiry in his sentencing, Magistrate Clare Farnan on Tuesday, August 19 said, 'The misleading evidence was given deliberately while Mr Maguire was the sitting member of parliament ... he has not demonstrated any remorse and maintains his innocence,' as the Sydney Morning Herald the sentence was imposed, Maguire's counsel, Rebecca Gall, said he would lodge an appeal and sought to be heard on a bail application pending that appeal, as ABC appeared before ICAC during an investigation into the former Canterbury City Council. He was questioned about whether he stood to benefit financially from a multi-million-dollar property deal linked to ex-councillor Michael Hawatt and a Chinese Dasha, the ICAC investigation , led to Maguire's resignation after phone taps revealed his discussions with ex-Canterbury councillor Michael Hawatt about a 300-unit site sale to Chinese company Country Garden in May Maguire denied any business dealings or expectations of payment. He will serve a non-parole period of five represented Wagga Wagga from 1999 until 2018. He was elected as a Liberal but declared himself an independent in July 2018 after his dealings with property developers were his time in parliament, he served on several committees, including the Liberal Party Rural Advisory Committee and the Coalition Policy was also known as the chairman of the NSW Parliament Asia Pacific Friendship Group and co-convenor of the Parliamentary Friends of the Australian Red parliament, Maguire held patron roles across schools, local associations, and community organisations in the Wagga Wagga region. He also worked with groups ranging from surf lifesaving clubs to riding for the disabled and cultural societies like the Wagga Wagga from politics, Maguire was a Justice of the Peace with wide-ranging personal interests. These included antiques, gardening, the olive industry, and restoring vintage motor vehicles. He is also a father of two.
ABC News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Former MP Daryl Maguire found guilty of giving false or misleading evidence at ICAC
Former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire has been found guilty of giving false or misleading evidence to the NSW corruption watchdog at a hearing in 2018, as it investigated the former Canterbury City Council. Maguire had denied wrongdoing, but prosecutors argued the former member for Wagga Wagga engaged in a "money making exercise" when he allegedly discussed a commission with a local councillor over a multimillion-dollar property deal. He appeared as a witness in Operation Dasha, the Independent Commission Against Corruption's (ICAC) investigation into allegations of corruption against councillors and whether they dishonestly exercised their official functions in relation to planning proposals. During his appearance at the public hearing, Maguire initially denied ever doing business with former councillor Michael Hawatt, or seeking payment for brokering a deal on behalf of a Chinese property developer. Magistrate Clare Farnan on Friday found him guilty of the single charge, following a hearing in the Local Court earlier this year. That outcome was delivered after apparent confusion about listing locations caused the parties to appear before a registrar in a different courtroom, who adjourned the case until September. The Downing Centre's lower level suffered flood damage due to a burst water main on Tuesday, and will remain shut for four weeks on the latest estimates. As a result, dozens of cases have had to be relocated to the nearby John Maddison Tower, including Mr Maguire's matter. When Magistrate Farnan delivered her decision, no media were in the courtroom, and Maguire's barrister Rebecca Gall applied for a non-publication order on the grounds of potential prejudice to a separate upcoming trial. Later in the afternoon, the magistrate put on the record that she had come into court in the morning expecting to deliver judgment. The magistrate said there was nothing "deliberate" about what occurred, and she had gone to "all the trouble I could" to have parties notified yesterday of the impending decision. She denied the application for a non-publication order, after hearing submissions from barrister Dauid Sibtain SC, representing the ABC and Fairfax. Magistrate Farnan said the case had already been the subject of media attention, and the interest of the community in open justice outweighed Mr Maguire's interests in the circumstances. At a hearing in late May, the court was told of intercepted phone calls between Maguire and Mr Hawatt in which the pair discussed the sale of a property on Canterbury Road at Campsie, in Sydney's inner south west. Maguire was recorded saying: "What have you got on your books? What is DA approved?". The pair then discussed the sale of the site of the former Harrison's Hardware store on Canterbury Road, for which a 300 unit development was proposed. Maguire and Mr Hawatt estimated the development to be worth up to $48 million, with Maguire asking: "What's the margin for you?". The court heard Mr Hawatt suggested a margin of between 1.5 and 2 per cent was likely, to which Mr Maguire replied: "1.5 per cent isn't enough divided by two, if you know what I mean." Deputy Senior Crown Prosecutor Phil Hogan argued the two were expecting to make money from the sale and that it would be divided equally between them. "The story that he'd prepared [for the ICAC] was, 'I'd never asked for a dollar, they never offered a dollar, nor would I ask for a dollar,'" Mr Hogan told the court. "The Crown says that statement is demonstrably misleading." Mr Hogan argued the communications between Maguire and Mr Hawatt amounted to an attempt to do business with the expectation they would both make money from that business.
