Former NSW MP Daryl Maguire has been charged with alleged “visa and migration fraud” by the Australian Border Force (ABF).
Key Points:
- The Australian Border Force says the charge was related to visa and migration fraud
- A “person of interest” was also arrested and charged on November 4
- Maguire resigned as MP for Wagga Wagga in 2018 following a corruption investigation
In a statement, the ABF said the charge of conspiracy to commit an offense follows an “extensive investigation”.
Mr Maguire, the former MP for Wagga Wagga, has been granted bail and ordered to surrender his passport ahead of a court appearance on February 7, 2023.
An ABF spokesman said the investigation also led to the arrest and charging of a “person of interest” on November 4, 2022.
“As these matters remain subject to legal proceedings, it would not be appropriate to comment further,” they said.
Court documents state Maguire conspired in an immigration scheme with Maggie Sining Logan (nee Wang) between January 1, 2013 and August 25, 2015.
It is alleged the duo provided Commonwealth visa applications “containing statements or information that were false or misleading”, allowing non-citizens to remain in Australia.
Maguire resigned from the Liberal Party in 2018 when he was identified during an investigation by the state’s corruption watchdog, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
The 63-year-old had a secret relationship with former prime minister Gladys Berejiklian. He is not charged with a crime. (Supplied)
A subsequent investigation into Mr Maguire’s conduct, dubbed Operation Keppel, revealed his secret “intimate relationship” with then-prime minister Gladys Berejiklian.
Ms Berejiklian is not charged with a crime.
The ICAC has not yet issued a final report on the Keppel operation.
This month, on November 7, the lawyers of Mr. Maguire were given a court attendance notice to appear in Downing Center Local Court today.
The 63-year-old did not appear in court, where the Director of Commonwealth Prosecutions made a remand application for Mr Maguire’s remand.
Magistrate Susan Horan refused the application and instead imposed bail conditions on Mr Maguire.
Under the conditions, he must surrender his passport to Wagga Wagga Local Court before 4pm today and will not pass within 500 meters of an international departure point.
He must also live at his Wagga Wagga home or inform an ABF caseworker if he stays at his Ivanhoe property.
Ms Logan, 53, has been charged with 12 counts of causing the delivery of a document containing a false statement under the Migration Act.
His case will also return to court on February 7.