A rude phone call between Gladys Berejiklian and the member with whom she was in « close relation » was made for a corruption investigation
Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian has dismissed claims she intervened in an area outside her jurisdiction in an ICAC investigation into former MP Daryl Maguire
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian appeared before the ICAC in a hearing on former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire Image: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles Source: News Corp Australia
A number of private phone calls between NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and former MP Daryl Maguire were played at the Independent Commission Against Corruption as the PM revealed that the two were in a relationship until the beginning of the year
In one case, she told M Maguire: « I don’t need to know that » as he told her about a deal he had made on Badgerys Creek in western Sydney
But Ms Berejiklian said she often did not listen to the ‘big talker’ Maguire in their conversations and the relationship ‘never’ influenced her behavior as Prime Minister
The Prime Minister appears before the ICAC in an investigation into alleged breaches of public trust by Mr. Maguire, the former MP for Wagga Wagga, who is accused of using his civil service for financial gain
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian arrives to testify before the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission in Sydney Image: NCA NewsWire / Joel Carrett Source: News Corp Australia
Ms. Berejiklian said she allegedly told M Maguire that she didn’t need to know about the Badgerys Creek deal, as she wasn’t interested in it and she would have thought it was ‘a pie in the sky’ as her big business so often fell through
She denied telling her so he wouldn’t continue to give her information that would force her to report it for alleged misconduct
« I would have had no qualms about carrying out my public duties if I needed it, » she said
During a phone call, the two men discussed the possibility that Mr. Maguire visits a trade delegation to China to discuss a problem of job losses in a regional town in NSW concerning Australian agribusiness UWE and Chinese company Bright Foods
« They seem to think it’s in your electorate I didn’t say anything, » Ms Berejiklian said on the call
Assistant lawyer Scott Robertson suggested to Ms Berejiklian that she said it ‘jokingly’ with a chuckle
« No No No Absolutely not, » replied Ms Berejiklian « My best memory of this would be, you better tell them what it is because I won’t interfere with it »
She said she didn’t know that M Maguire was looking to be named to the UWE board at the time
During the call, M Maguire can be heard delivering a long monologue about how nothing would happen if he didn’t go, in which he said « they all suck people’s cocks » and « they can get fucked »
Asked by Commissioner Ruth McColl why she hadn’t told him not to visit China by phone, Ms Berejiklian replied « because a proper process was in place »
He did not end up making the trip under the leadership of the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, the investigation learned last week
In phone calls broadcast as part of the investigation, Ms. Berejiklian often replied simply « Mmm » while Mr. Maguire was talking
« To be frank, I don’t always participate in every conversation I have, » she told the survey
Ms. Berejiklian stated that Mr. Maguire was « obsessed » with his debts and even though he told her it was $ 1.5million in the red, she didn’t necessarily take it seriously
« You won’t say you are poor for maybe a week and then start saying it again, » Ms Berejiklian said
When asked to explain, she said: « I think what I wanted to say is that in my personal life I have placed importance on what I do. felt for him »
She told the inquiry that she takes conflict of interest very seriously and that she is an « independent woman with my own finances »
« If you suggest I cared about his financial situation, I reject it completely, » she said « I didn’t care »
« I would always make sure things were done the right way, and this is something that is close to my heart, » she said
« Every public servant, every colleague who has ever worked with me knows the high standards I hold for myself and those around me And I would never, ever compromise those high standards for anyone or anything it is «
She said the relationship started after the 2015 election and she decided to cut contact after appearing at a private ICAC hearing in August
Ms Berejiklian said the relationship was not known to their colleagues as she was a « very private person » and did not believe she had « enough substance » to be made public
Ms Berejiklian is represented by Arthur Moses SC, who recently participated in the Unified Security investigation in Victoria into the hotel quarantine
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Gladys Berejiklian, Daryl Maguire, Prime Minister, Independent Commission Against Corruption, Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division), New South Wales
News from the world – UA – Gladys had ‘closed’ relationship with the deputy
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
