Trial Opens in Sydney

The trial of former New South Wales MP Daryl Maguire began in the NSW District Court on Wednesday, with the 67-year-old pleading not guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to commit an offence. The charge relates to an alleged scheme involving fraudulent visa applications for Chinese nationals seeking permanent residency between 2013 and 2015, while Maguire was the Liberal Party Member for Wagga Wagga.

Maguire is accused of knowing that false or misleading information would be provided to the Department of Immigration, and of recruiting businesses in the Riverina region to participate in the venture. The Crown alleges he conspired with associate Maggie Wang (also known as Maggie Logan) and migration agent Monica Hao, who was based in Sydney.

Prosecution's Opening

In his opening address to the jury on Wednesday afternoon, Crown prosecutor Sean Flood SC told the court that conspiracy is a "continuing offence" — an agreement between two or more people to do an unlawful act. The court heard that the purported scheme involved two sponsored visa streams, under which a sponsoring business would pay the applicant's wage and provide full-time employment for two years.

The Crown alleges that Maguire recruited businesses to participate, and that in some cases the applicants never attended the sponsoring business. The prosecution also told the court that businesses recruited by Maguire agreed to be paid in cash for their involvement.

According to reports, the court heard that 20 applications containing false or misleading information were lodged with the Department of Immigration. Judge Ian Bourke SC is presiding over the trial, which is expected to run for about five weeks.

Defence's Response

On Thursday morning, Maguire's barrister Ian McLachlan gave his opening address, painting a different picture of his client's involvement. McLachlan told the court that Maguire "wouldn't have a clue" about Australia's visa system, and that he had no role in submitting the visa applications.

Maguire was well known in the local business community before entering parliament in 1999, and had taken trips to China to facilitate trade with businesses in Wagga Wagga, the court heard. In 2013, a business he was associated with, G8Way International Pty Ltd, began offering visa services to match prospective employees with employers.

McLachlan said Maguire's role was to identify businesses that might want to participate and sponsor a visa applicant. "They were after skilled labour they just couldn't get," he said. "Genuine employers were seeking genuine labour."

He emphasised that the submission of visa applications to the Commonwealth was the responsibility of migration agent Monica Hao. "[Maguire] had no role in submitting the documents," McLachlan said. "Once he does the introduction, it's over to [Hao]."

The court also heard text exchanges between Maguire and his associates, which are expected to be a key part of the evidence.

Perspectives

The case pits two competing narratives against each other. The prosecution claims Maguire was a knowing participant in a scheme that exploited Australia's visa system, recruiting businesses to sponsor applicants who never actually worked for them. The defence counters that Maguire was a facilitator — a businessman with local connections who introduced parties but was ignorant of the technicalities of immigration law and the actions of his associates.

The trial continues, with the jury expected to hear further evidence over the coming weeks before reaching a verdict.