Gladys Berejiklian’s corruption verdict is set to be delivered. Here’s what led to it

Nearly two years since Gladys Berejiklian resigned as NSW premier, the state’s corruption watchdog will finally release its report into her conduct. Here’s what you need to know.

NSW ICAC's investigation hinges on whether Gladys Berejiklian's concealment of her relationship with Daryl Maguire breached the public trust. Source: AAP

Key Points

• NSW ICAC’s Operation Keppel report will be delivered to state parliament at 9am on Thursday.
• Gladys Berejiklian resigned as NSW premier in October 2021 while waiting for the findings.
• The corruption inquiry exposed the then-premier's "close personal relationship" with disgraced MP Daryl Maguire.

The NSW corruption watchdog's delayed report into the conduct of Gladys Berejiklian will be handed down today, more than two and a half years since she first gave evidence about her secret romance with disgraced MP Daryl Maguire.

The investigation into Ms Berejiklian's dealings began after the Independent Commission Against Corruption launched inquiries into the disgraced former Liberal MP for Wagga Wagga, Mr Maguire.

Ms Berejiklian resigned as NSW premier and left politics in October 2021 while waiting for the findings.

ICAC’s Operation Keppel report will be delivered to the parliament's presiding officers at 9am on Thursday, and will be available for public viewing if the officers make it public.

The commission revealed in January that the report would not be released before the March state election as its findings concerned complex matters of law and the analysis of thousands of pages of exhibits, transcripts and submissions.

What were Gladys Berejiklian and Daryl Maguire being investigated for?

Mr Maguire resigned from NSW parliament in 2018 after the Keppel inquiry began, which later exposed his secret "close personal relationship" with Ms Berejiklian.

The watchdog investigated whether Mr Maguire used his role as an MP to gain a financial benefit and whether Ms Berejiklian, as NSW premier, breached the public trust during their five-year secret personal relationship.

Gladys Berejiklian (centre) and Daryl Maguire (right) in 2015. Credit: Barry O'Farrell/Twitter

The investigation hinges on whether Ms Berejiklian's concealment of her relationship with Mr Maguire breached the public trust, whether she improperly handled projects pursued by Mr Maguire and if she engaged in conduct "liable to allow or encourage corruption" by him.

Ms Berejiklian has denied any wrongdoing, citing concerns about likely lengthy delays in ICAC delivering its report as a reason for her resignation.

What was revealed at the corruption inquiry?

While under questioning during public hearings, Ms Berejiklian revealed she and Mr Maguire had been in a long-term, clandestine relationship, describing him as part of her "love circle".

The inquiry heard from senior public servants and MPs, many of whom said Ms Berejiklian should have disclosed her relationship to avoid the appearance of impropriety.

But Ms Berejiklian defended her decision to keep the relationship under wraps, saying it wasn't of sufficient status, despite agreeing the pair loved each other, contemplated marriage and discussed having a child.

The inquiry also heard two grants at the centre of the investigation did not face a competitive tender process and were at times opposed by senior public servants.

During Ms Berejiklian's nine hours of evidence, she was played several intercepted phone calls with Mr Maguire.

In one, she could be heard saying she got "$170 million in five minutes" for a hospital in his electorate.

In other calls, Mr Maguire railed against ICAC and told Ms Berejiklian to get a second phone.

Ms Berejiklian said she had no clue Mr Maguire was doing anything untoward and he did not get any preferential treatment from her.

What have Daryl Maguire and Gladys Berejiklian done since?

In February 2022, just four months after resigning as NSW premier, Ms Berejiklian was appointed as Optus’ managing director of enterprise, business and institutional.

The telco has backed Ms Berejiklian ahead of the looming ICAC report.

“We will have to look at the findings when they come out and that will be a matter for Gladys, and then we will decide if there is anything relevant for Optus,” Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin told the Australian Financial Review last month.

“But we are not expecting anything.”

Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has been working for Optus since leaving politics. Source: AAP

Meanwhile, Ms Berejiklian's former boyfriend is facing mounting legal woes, after being charged with giving false and misleading evidence to a corruption inquiry involving a Sydney council, while also facing an ongoing court case after being charged with criminal conspiracy over an alleged cash-for-visas scheme.

Mr Maguire, 64, is accused of conspiring to breach the Migration Act between January 2013 and August 2015.

The former Wagga Wagga MP could face prison time or a maximum fine of $34,000 if convicted.

Outside the Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, Mr Maguire’s lawyer told reporters he would read the ICAC report and said his client denied any allegations of corruption.

"My client denies that he's behaved in a corrupt way," solicitor Jim Harrowell said.

Daryl Maguire pictured leaving the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption in Sydney in July 2018. Source: AAP

"With the legal system, people are presumed innocent until found guilty."

Mr Harrowell said Mr Maguire had been under investigation since 2018 when he stepped down from politics.

"That's a long time. In most cases, if you want to bring a charge against somebody, you've got to do it very quickly," he said.

The former MP was charged over the alleged visa fraud in November but has not yet entered a plea and his conditional bail was continued on Tuesday.