17 July 2026

Former Wagga MP Daryl Maguire found guilty over visa scheme involvement

| By Claire Sams
Daryl Maguire headshot

Daryl Maguire, 67, was the MP for Wagga Wagga between 1999 and 2018. Photo: Supplied.

Former MP Daryl Maguire has been found guilty of conspiracy relating to a visa scheme.

Jurors handed their verdict to Judge Ian Bourke SC in the NSW District Court today (17 July).

Maguire had been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit an offence in 2022, and committed for trial in March 2024.

At his committal, it was alleged that Maguire conspired to provide “documents in connection with applications for visas permitting non-citizens to remain in Australia”.

Maguire had served as Wagga’s MP since 1999 before being forced to quit in 2018 after admitting to a corruption inquiry that he had sought commissions while brokering property deals with a Chinese developer.

READ ALSO Daryl Maguire granted bail and to remain in Wagga despite 10-month jail sentence

In August 2025, Maguire was handed a 10-month jail sentence after being found guilty of providing misleading evidence to the state’s corruption watchdog.

He had been accused of giving misleading evidence to an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) hearing into the activities of Sydney’s Canterbury City Council called Operation Dasha in 2018.

Maguire went on to lodge an appeal against the result. The appeal was successful, and the finding overturned in March 2025.

Media were blocked from reporting on the appeal’s outcome due to a non-publication order that was in force until the trial returned a verdict.

For the conspiracy charge, the former Liberal MP faces prison time or a maximum fine of $34,000.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on 23 October.

Original Article published by Claire Sams on Region Riverina.

Free, trusted local news delivered direct to your inbox.

Keep up-to-date with what's happening around the Capital region by signing up for our free daily newsletter.
Loading
By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.

Daily Digest

Do you like to know what’s happening around your region? Every day the About Regional team packages up our most popular stories and sends them straight to your inbox for free. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.