Gladys Berejiklian appeal: ICAC argues premier was swayed by ‘serial pest’

Ms Berejiklian has taken her battle to clear her title to the NSW Court docket of Enchantment after ICAC final yr made damning findings that she engaged in “severe corrupt conduct”.

She has requested the Court docket of Enchantment to quash the findings that she breached the ministerial code by failing to reveal her secret relationship with fellow NSW MP Mr Maguire.

The findings relate to multimillion-dollar grants to the Australian Clay Goal Affiliation and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music in Mr Maguire’s Wagga Wagga voters.

Ms Berejiklian is dealing with a two-day listening to earlier than the Court docket of Enchantment as she asks for the fee’s findings to be overturned.

Barrister Stephen Free SC, representing ICAC, informed the court docket on Tuesday that the fee’s circumstantial findings have been primarily based on the mixed weight of a number of items of proof, together with that Mr Maguire was a “serial pest” when it got here to lobbying for initiatives for his voters.

“As between (Mr Maguire) and Ms Berejiklian, he was a particular form of serial pest,” Mr Free mentioned.

“He was agitating for his curiosity in his voters by making the most of a specific emotional relationship as existed solely between them.

“And the dynamic of that relationship included, over a sequence of incidents, him successfully exhibiting the depth of his need for sure initiatives to come back to fruition, his insecurity and disquiet – because it was described – that he wasn’t getting ample help for these initiatives from Ms Berejiklian.”

Mr Free argued that Ms Berejiklian’s relationship with Mr Maguire was totally different to her relationships with different members.

“And in context of the connection, as discovered by the fee, that made him a serial pest of a totally totally different order to Ms Berejiklian,” Mr Free mentioned.

Regardless of the findings, ICAC didn’t advocate Ms Berejiklian be referred for prison prosecution because of “formidable” roadblocks.

Ms Berejiklian resigned from parliament in October 2021 after ICAC revealed it was investigating whether or not she had damaged the legislation by failing to reveal her relationship with Mr Maguire.

She argues there was no proof that she was influenced by her relationship with Mr Maguire and that it didn’t quantity to a battle of curiosity.

Nevertheless, Mr Free mentioned the fee discovered that her relationship with Mr Maguire was “not identical to some other native member”.

“He was a part of an intimate relationship along with her by which, importantly, her imaginative and prescient for her future, the prospect of marriage, the potential of having a baby collectively, her curiosity in his life after his retirement from politics, it was tied to the upkeep of their relationship and gave her an curiosity which she clearly didn’t have with some other native member,” Mr Free mentioned.

The listening to continues.

Initially revealed as Gladys Berejiklian swayed by ‘serial pest’ secret lover in keeping with ICAC