THE state's peak corruption authority has revealed the first batch of witnesses to appear at the public inquiry into misconduct allegations made against former Wagga MP Daryl Maguire.
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Seven witnesses have been called to provide evidence during the first week of the Independent Commission Against Corruption's inquiry into Mr Maguire's alleged breach of public trust and use of parliamentary resources for personal gain.
The list includes Phillip Elliott, Nicole Hatton, Rebecca Cartwright, Gordon Tse, Angus McLaren, Shaun Duffy, Peter Wood and Tim Howe.
ICAC named Mr Elliott's company G8wayinternational, which is registered to a residential Turvey Park unit, in an initial statement claiming it had benefitted from an alleged association with Mr Maguire.
Mystery surrounds the current activities of the Wagga-based business after Mr Elliott declined to comment when contacted by The Daily Advertiser earlier this month.
Its now-deleted website described itself as an "international business club" that was "formed after many requests from business people who wish to develop stronger links with China and the Asia Pacific".
The investigation into Mr Maguire came about after ICAC heard, in a separate inquiry, tapes of intercepted phone calls pertaining to conversations about a Sydney property deal.
ICAC was established in 1988 in response to growing concerns about the integrity of the state's public administration.
Griffith University's Institute for Ethics, Governance and Law Director Charles Sampford said these public inquiries are to some extent deliberately designed to appear like a courtroom, but it is important to recognise the purpose of these hearings.
"It is about finding facts, not necessarily guilt," he said. "There is a lot of controversy in holding public hearings because of the capacity to destroy the reputation of those who are being investigated."
Professor Sampford said the witnesses called to give evidence during ICAC hearings "do not have the right of silence," however it is not a criminal proceeding, nor could the information provided be used for convictions.
"There is a trade-off between finding the guilty and securing convictions and finding the facts," he said.
Professor Sampford added that the commissioner presiding over an inquiry will make findings at the conclusion of the hearing.
He said it is not the commissioner's role to determine convictions, however its recommendations could be referred to the state's public prosecutions director where "an independent determination" could be made.