Former Wagga MP Daryl Maguire's associate in an alleged cash-for-visas scheme has admitted she contacted or attempted to contact its Riverina participants to get them to lie at corruption hearings.
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Maggie Wang told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Tuesday that she wanted Riverina businesses owners to give false testimony after they had supplied fake jobs to visa applicants, including a company involving former Wagga City Council general manager Alan Eldridge.
Ms Wang agreed with counsel assisting ICAC Scott Robertson that she wanted to speak with Mr Eldridge or someone at the Eldridge Group Australia accounting firm in late 2018 or early 2019 so they would "lie to the commission" but she said "the office was closed".
Mr Eldridge and his firm were raised by Mr Robertson as one of the "businesses associated with the immigration scheme" that saw "false" paperwork given to the immigration department so that Chinese visa applicants had a workplace to nominate.
Ms Wang said she told Great Southern Electrical managing director Sean Duffy and Cottontail Wines owner Gerry McCormick to conceal from ICAC the cash she had given them, and told Temora real estate agent Angus McLaren that their visa worker training agreement was "legitimate".
Ms Wang previously told ICAC she paid cash incentives to the businesses involved and gave the remainder, up to $20,000 at a time, to Mr Maguire.