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Former NSW MP Daryl Maguire has been charged over an alleged "visa and migration fraud" by the Australian Border Force (ABF).
- Australian Border Force says the charge was related to visa and migration fraud
- A "female person of interest" was also arrested and charged on November 4
- Mr Maguire resigned as the MP for Wagga Wagga in 2018 after a corruption inquiry
In a statement, the ABF said the charge of conspiring to commit an offence follows an "extensive investigation".
Mr Maguire, the ex-Wagga Wagga MP, has been granted bail and ordered to surrender his passport ahead of a court appearance on February 7, 2023.
An ABF spokesperson said the investigation also resulted in the arrest and charging of a "female person of interest" on November 4, 2022.
"As these matters remain subject to legal proceedings, it would not be appropriate to comment further," they said.
Court documents state Mr Maguire allegedly conspired in a migration scheme with Maggie Sining Logan (nee Wang) between January 1, 2013 and August 25, 2015.
It's alleged the duo furnished on the Commonwealth visa applications "containing statements or information that was false or misleading", which allowed non-citizens to remain in Australia.
Mr Maguire resigned from the Liberal Party in 2018, when he was identified during an inquiry by the state's corruption watchdog, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
A subsequent investigation into Mr Maguire's conduct, dubbed Operation Keppel, revealed his secret "intimate relationship" with then-premier Gladys Berejiklian.
Ms Berejiklian is not accused of wrongdoing.
The ICAC is yet to release a final report on Operation Keppel.
This month, on November 7, Mr Maguire's lawyers were served with a court attendance notice to appear before Downing Centre Local Court today.
The 63-year-old did not appear before the court, where the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions applied for a detention application to remand Mr Maguire in custody.
Magistrate Susan Horan denied the application, and instead imposed bail conditions on Mr Maguire.
Under the conditions, he is to hand in his passport to Wagga Wagga Local Court by 4pm today and not go within 500 metres of an international departure point.
He must also live at his Wagga Wagga home, or inform an ABF case worker if he is to stay at his Ivanhoe property.
Ms Logan, 53, has been charged with 12 counts of causing the delivery of a document with a false statement under the Migration Act.
Her matter will also return to court on February 7.