John Maitland grilled over mine deal at ICAC hearing FORMER union boss John Maitland has faced a storm of questioning by ICAC's commissioner about the design of maps he used to garner support for a mine deal now under a cloud of corruption. Mr Maitland has been set free from the witness stand of the corruption watchdog after more than three days of questioning over his role in securing an exploration licence for himself and a small group of investors in 2008. The inquiry has already heard Mr Maitland shared meals with former resources minister Ian Macdonald in the months before the Doyles Creek licence was granted-- a decision made against the advice of the mining industry and the primary industries department. Mr Maitland approached senior Hunter Valley identities, including federal Climate Change minister Greg Combet, in 2008 to write letters of support for a training mine but ICAC has been told that proposal was used as a way of getting access to a large coal resource for commercial purposes. ICAC Commissioner David Ipp QC hit Mr Maitland with a series of questions as to why a map drawn up of the Jerrys Plains site didn't include a design of the commercial mine, even though one was always going to be built there. The training mine can be seen on the map, ICAC was told. Where is the mine, Mr Maitland, the commercial mine? Mr Ipp asked. It shows the training mine, why doesn't it show the commercial mine? "It shows the bathrooms, the workshop, the electric substation and the portals," Mr Maitland said. But why doesn't it show the mine? Not the toilets, the mine? Mr Maitland said the entry portals on the map were the indication of the commercial mine. Craig Ransley, another principal investor in Doyles Creek Mining, begins his evidence this afternoon.