Disgraced former #LiberalPartypolitician #DarylMaguire’s insistence he knew nothing of a #conspiracy to create false visa applications for #Chinese nationals has been rejected by a jury, AAP reports. Maguire, the 67-year-old former member for #WaggaWagga, was found guilty in the Downing Centre district court on Friday of conspiring to create the bogus applications for 10 Chinese nationals purporting to employ them at businesses in the #NSW #Riverina region. As a result of the verdict, it can be revealed Maguire’s conviction and subsequent jail sentence from a previous #corruption probe were wiped on appeal in the lead-up to the visa trial. Maguire, whose #clandestine relationship with then-premier #GladysBerejiklian triggered her exit from politics, was convicted of #misleading a corruption probe about potential profits from a major property deal. Judge Justin Smith in March upheld Maguire’s appeal, quashing his conviction and ordering the charge be dismissed. The crown had alleged Maguire misled the #IndependentCommissionAgainstCorruption (#ICAC) about his dealings with former Sydney councillor #MichaelHawatt on a potential property development, in which Maguire could have received about $720,000 in commission. The corruption probe, including recorded phone calls discussing the development, triggered Maguire’s retirement from parliament in 2018. #auspol #NSWpol https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/jul/17/australia-news-live-telstra-mobile-outage-parliament-inquiry-royal-commission-antisemitism-ai-anthony-albanese-labor-liberals-coalition-politics-ntwnfb?page=with%3Ablock-6a59adee8f085bcdc00818a0#block-6a59adee8f085bcdc00818a0