Gladys

Is anything permissible in the pursuit of political corruption and does the end justify the means?

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption’s (ICAC) investigation into former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian’s conduct exposed questionable government processes and raised questions about transparency and accountability of political figures.

Should she have disclosed her relationship with then-secret boyfriend MP Daryl Maguire, and did she breach the public trust though a conflict between her public duties and personal life?

Unlike criminal courts, ICAC does not provide the protections offered those charged with a crime, nor the exoneration process that an acquittal or successful appeal offers. Guilt of corrupt behaviour by accusation is a real and constant danger, as history shows. Wrongful accusation delivers a grave injustice and in the case of a corruption ‘watchdog’ a public investigation amounts to a wrongful accusation, given that the investigation is not a finding.

Andrew L. Urban has been writing about wrongful convictions in the criminal justice system and the role of the State in its fair and just administration of the law since 2013. In Gladys he provides the broader context in which this controversial ICAC investigation pilloried Gladys Berijiklian with questionable justification — and arguably not in the true spirit of exposing political corruption as the public understands it. It includes detailed excerpts from the ICAC Act and the investigation, Gladys’ resignation from politics, and how she stayed strong through it all and retained her fans and followers.

About the Author

Andrew L. Urban's first novel, If You Promise Not To Tell was nominated in the inaugural Ned Kelly Awards for Best First Crime Fiction. His first non-fiction book, Murder by the Prosecution explored several wrongful convictions and was described by Margaret Cunneen SC as a 'troubling expose'. He has published the online Wrongful Convictions Report since 2018. Since 1985, before turning his journalistic attention to miscarriages of justice (prompted by the Eve Ash documentary Shadow of Doubt), Andrew was a prolific film journalist and covered the Cannes Film Festival for 20 years for both screen trade publications and mainstream media. He was Channel Host on World Movies for five years. He co-published with his wife Louise, the online movie magazine Urban Cinefile for 20 years. During his lifelong career as a journalist, he has had over 2,000 freelance articles published in a variety of publications in Australia and internationally. Andrew conceived and presented Front Up, a weekly series on SBS TV that ran from 1992-2003/04. He is the co-author of Zelensky: The Unlikely Ukrainian Hero Who Defied Putin and United the World.