Former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian claims she is innocent of any wrongdoing so why is she spending an estimated $500,000 legal fees at the NSW ICAC corruption inquiry? Ms Berejiklian has two Senior Counsel barristers representing her at ICAC, Bret Walker and Sophie Callan, with Mr Walker charging $25,000 a day. So who is paying the bill? The Liberal Party? A billionaire? A foreign country? Christian Porter’s blind trust?
Senior Counsel barristers almost always have a junior barrister assisting them which if correct puts the cost at close to $50,000 a day times the scheduled 10 days for the hearing and that adds up to $500,000 just for barristers for Gladys Berejiklian with lawyers costs to be added. But given Gladys Berejiklian is dating her previous barrister Arthur Moses, SC, I assume she would be getting mates rates from her legal team, so I have put the total costs estimate at $500,000. I outline the costs in the below video:
The legal team that Gladys Berejiklian has put together is the sort of legal team that you would expect a billionaire to assemble who is fighting serious criminal charges. Her lead barrister Bret Walker also represented George Pell at the High Court and recently represented former Attorney-General Christian Porter.
To me Gladys Berejiklian looks guilty just by the amount of money she would be spending on her legal team whether she is paying for them or not.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian resigned on 1st of October 2021 only hours after NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption announced they were investigating her for alleged corruption (Click here to read more)
Video of former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian ducking and weaving during a private hearing in September 2021 at ICAC, which was only a couple of weeks before she resigned, is below:
The former NSW Premier repeatedly replies she “didn’t know” whether her former boyfriend Daryl Maguire engaged in corrupt conduct, before finally answer “No” after this back-and-forth. Anyone who watches the above video has to come to the conclusion that Gladys Berejiklian is at the very least guilty of concealing her former boyfriends criminal conduct and that is what is at the heart of the ICAC investigation.
ICAC announced on Monday they will also call former NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro to give evidence at the inquiry. He will be represented by the high-profile Sydney silk John Agius, SC. I suggested in the below video that I recorded on the 5/10/21 that is one of the reasons John Barilaro resigned:
It’s the old saying when investigating corruption follow the money. Christian Porter has so far evaded saying who is paying his estimated $1million plus legal bills by claiming it is being paid by a blind trust which is a national scandal as anyone or any country could be paying it and they could be influencing how Christian Porter votes in parliament and/or how he does his job as a MP.
ICAC should force both Gladys Berejiklian and John Barilaro to declare who is paying their legal bills for their ICAC appearances. It would be one thing for the government to be paying for one barrister and a lawyer but if the government is paying for Gladys Berejiklian’s star-studded legal team then that is a scandal in itself and should be referred to ICAC for investigation.
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Categories: Premier Gladys Berejiklian
Thanks for your excellent work
This post is so balanced and unsensational. Let the facts speak for themselves. Thank you.
The taxpayer is picking up the tab
Thank you. Great work again. There appears to be enough going on to keep someone looking at federal and state full time. It’s outrageous.
This issue is becoming another trial by media. What we need asap is a major overhaul of the now outdated Australian Constitution to restore our Democracy. The political Class are merely Public Servants and all must have a Position and Job Description plus a formal Code of Conduct.
Yes thank you. And keep it up. On Berejiklian’s guilt – or otherwise – does she stand to lose some or all benefits if she is found guilty? Or is that just some ‘alternative’ truth? You say ‘follow the money’, but if the Shredder and Barilaro both took the money and ran, does that say anything about their guilt?
Certainly don’t see this as a trial by media, the public deserve to know all the history and all the facts of how public monies are spent or handed out in secret by MPs to their cronies and their mates. Usual double standards at play, the usual unsatisfactory responses like ‘I can’t recall’, Commercial in confidence, cabinet secrecy has created this corrupt environment, the use of Police as a political tool to silence dissent etc. Seems reasonable to politicians to name individuals under the cover of parliamentary privilege, leak selected information to the media when it suits their needs, but when the spotlight is shone on the same MPs it suddenly called outrageous behaviour.
I very much doubt that it will effect her pension. If the ABC can pick-up the bills for it’s Reporting Princes, they just may see their way to helping out with this bill.
News.com.au reports:
“Former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has been granted approval for a taxpayer-funded legal team for her ICAC battle that will offer her two senior counsel alone up to $10,000 a day.”
Ordinary Australians always pay these days. The elite don’t think it should have anything to do with themselves, their responsibilities, or their actions.
There you go, Australia, the Banana Republic. Where the guilty dictators get fully funded for their defense in a Show Trial Court! Seems that the silent majority are too busy to notice what is going on right under their noses or “So long as you don’t talk religion or politics you’ll get on just right, mate!”
“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive”
If one should lie or act dishonestly, doesn’t one create further problems and a house of cards structure full of more complications, which will ultimately career out of control, into different and unsuspecting areas.
Just saying!