Daryl Maguire asked business associate to delete messages and emails, Icac hears
The former New South Wales state MP Daryl Maguire told a former business associate that his phone and iPad had been involved in an “unfortunate” tractor accident after he became aware the state’s anti-corruption watchdog was paying attention to him.
On Tuesday, Maguire’s former business associate, Maggie Wang, told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) the former MP had told her about an “unfortunate accident where my phones and iPad have been run over by a tractor” after Icac began an earlier investigation that led to Maguire’s resignation in 2018.
Wang, who faced Icac for the second time on Tuesday, told the inquiry Maguire had also sent her a message through a friend requesting her to delete messages and emails between the pair.
“I got message [and] my friend [told me about] a phone call from Daryl, you know … my friend mention something you know, delete his messages, kind of thing,” she said.
Wang, who said she initially thought Maguire’s concern was “silly”, said she still complied with the request.
It wasn’t until the two later met at a coffee shop and Maguire told her about the “unfortunate accident” with his devices that she became more concerned and deleted further messages and emails.
Wang agreed with the counsel assisting the inquiry, Scott Robertson, that she was attempting to help Maguire conceal evidence from the inquiry.
Wang left the witness box in tears on Tuesday after admitting that she had previously lied to the commission on a number of occasions during private hearings of the anti-corruption watchdog.
“I was panicked, I was ashamed, I don’t know I couldn’t cope, I just feel like it was a disaster,” she said.
“I can’t do any more, I had enough, I can’t keep going any more, it’s just too hard. I just want everything to be end … I don’t think I can emotionally or mentally or physically can go on any more.
“I feel really bad and I feel I want the whole thing to the end.”
Earlier the commission heard Wang had tried to cover up her involvement in a cash-for-visa scheme which the commission has previously heard was linked to Maguire.
During her evidence, Wang admitted she asked at least one Wagga Wagga business owner not to mention that she had given him tens of thousands of dollars as part of the scheme in 2014.
“I was in [a] panic and I was silly, I thought as long as I don’t mention this Icac, this commission, it should be alright, which I did,” she said.
“I went to see him, I said you know I don’t want anything to do with this I just [said] keep me out of this.”
During her evidence on Tuesday Icac heard Wang and Maguire had conspired over a number of potential business ventures. Wang said the former MP had been “talking about retirement” and was attempting to secure a number of business deals including selling oil, opening a casino in Samoa and developing property in Sydney.
During the hearing, Icac played a recording of a phone intercept in which Maguire and Wang discuss the potential to make “big money” from an oil technology project and discussed a potential 50-50 profit split on the deal.
“We’ll do what we always do, we’re like brothers and sisters,” Maguire said.
Icac is investigating allegations Maguire misused his position as an MP and parliamentary secretary to improperly gain a benefit for himself or for G8way International, a company he “effectively controlled”.
It has previously heard Maguire sought payments to help broker deals for Chinese property developers, and helped “grease the wheels” of a deal to sell Waterhouse’s land near the proposed airport in 2017 and 2018.