ICAC recommended charges be pursued against Maguire and two of his associates, but not against Berejiklian.
The watchdog accused Maguire of misusing his office for financial gain.
Maguire’s legal advisers at Hunt & Hunt say that Maguire “worked tirelessly” for his constituents during his tenure as an MP.
“Indeed, he was described in evidence as a dog with a bone, a vociferous advocate for the electorate, or a pain in the arse when it came to getting improvements for the Wagga electorate,” his lawyers said in a statement.
Maguire’s legal team is still reviewing the huge report handed down by ICAC last week but addressed some of the projects the body addressed.
Specifically, Maguire’s lawyers said there was “no evidence” that he nor anybody else had tried to manipulate the process by which funding was granted to the Australian Clay Target Association.
“Funding for this project was reviewed by Infrastructure NSW who determined that it met the relevant criteria, and then independently reviewed by the Investment Appraisal Unit,” the statement read.
“The evidence before ICAC was that there was no interference by anyone with the independent evaluation process.”
Grant funding for the Riverina Conservatorium of Music was likewise “fully evaluated” by the government before it was granted, the lawyers said.
“There is no evidence that Daryl Maguire advocated for this project for any personnel (sic) benefit,” the statement read.
In both projects, Berejiklian was found to have engaged in corrupt conduct by not declaring a conflict of interest due to her secret relationship with Maguire at the time she played a role in the approvals process.
Maguire’s legal team also denied there was anything untoward about the redevelopment of the Wagga Base Hospital and Tumut Hospital.
“Daryl Maguire’s efforts, tenacity and sheer dogged determination fighting for funding and the very best planning outcomes for these communities resulted in the major upgrades you see today,” the statement read.
“Again, his support was entirely without any expectation of any personnel (sic) benefit.
“Daryl Maguire is proud of his many achievements serving the electorate of Wagga and NSW and strongly denies all allegations referring to the projects above.”
The statement did not mention an alleged cash-for-visas scheme Maguire was found to have taken part in, nor ICAC’s finding that he had used parliamentary resources to financially benefit a company he had a directorship of “in substance”.
But Maguire’s lawyers did claim he and those around him had been the victim of “serious invasions of privacy” in recent days, including the “stalking” of “young women going about their daily routine” as well as “harassment of employees and intimidation of clients at (Maguire’s) business operations”.
Media personnel were accused of doing “unsafe” u-turns in front of oncoming traffic, and parking unsafely, leading to “three traffic near collisions”.
“We ask in all reasonableness, that you desist from your appalling behaviour towards these people and your unsafe reckless activities,” he said.
“The presumption of innocence is the foundation of our legal system and should be respected by all.”
The statement concluded with the declaration that neither Maguire nor his advisers would comment further on the ICAC report.
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