Gladys Berejiklian launches legal challenge to ICAC’s finding she engaged in ‘serious corrupt conduct’

Former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has launched legal proceedings against ICAC after the watchdog found she had engaged in “serious corrupt conduct”.

Ms Berejiklian has launched the legal battle against the ICAC’s findings after it was found earlier this year that she had committed a ‘serious’ breach of the ministerial code by failing to disclose her relationship with former partner Daryl Maguire.

The report shows she oversaw the approval of two grants among Mr Maguire’s Wagga Wagga electorate: a $5.5 million grant to the Australian Clay Target Association and a $10 million grant to the renovation of the Riverina Conservatory of Music.

She also failed in her ministerial duties by failing to report her suspicions that Mr Maguire had or might have engaged in corrupt conduct, the report found.

Despite the findings, ICAC did not recommend referring her for criminal charges.

Ms Berejiklian will now challenge the ICAC’s findings in the Court of Appeal.

The case will be heard in court for the first time on October 9.

The ICAC report found she oversaw the approval of two grants in former MP Daryl Maguire’s electorate of Wagga Wagga

The ICAC found that during his time as an MP, Mr Maguire inappropriately used his public office to further his own financial interests and those of his colleagues, while deliberately failing to disclose his position and potential monetary benefits.

“Let us not forget that during his time representing the people of Wagga and the region he worked tirelessly for his constituents,” Maguire said in a statement released in July.

“Indeed, he was described in the evidence as a dog with a bone, a vocal advocate for the electorate, or a bastard when it came to getting improvements for the Wagga electorate.”