Lehrmann inquiry chair Walter Sofronoff facing corruption probe

3 weeks ago 7

The ACT’s integrity commissioner has launched an probe into the erstwhile justice who helmed the Lehrmann proceedings probe, announcing his actions successful leaking copies of the last study whitethorn magnitude to corruption.

Former Queensland Supreme Court justice Walter Sofronoff, KC, chaired the enquiry into the behaviour of the abandoned rape proceedings of erstwhile Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann past year, generating contention aft helium sent copies of his findings to The Australian and ABC earlier handing the study to the ACT authorities successful July.

Inquiry seat Walter Sofronoff volition beryllium investigated by the ACT corruption watchdog.

The territory’s Integrity Commission past period said it was assessing allegations of corruption regarding Sofronoff’s actions, which were allegedly successful breach of authorities governing nationalist inquiries, arsenic good arsenic allegedly constituting corrupt behaviour nether the ACT’s Integrity Commission Act.

“The Commissioner has completed his appraisal of these allegations and has decided to commence an probe into the impugned behaviour arsenic helium suspects, connected tenable grounds, that Mr Sofronoff’s behaviour whitethorn represent corrupt conduct,” the watchdog said successful an update connected Monday.

Comment has been sought from Sofronoff.

The integrity probe is the latest ineligible offshoot from the archetypal transgression trial, which has spawned myriad tribunal proceedings since 2022, including respective defamation actions.

In its April statement, the committee said its wide argumentation was to neither corroborate nor contradict the referral oregon probe of corruption allegations unless the circumstances were exceptional.

“Here, the issues are particularly important, their taxable substance has already been wide publicised and the request for the Integrity Commission to measure and, if necessary, analyse them is apparent,” the watchdog said.

Lehrmann pleaded not blameworthy to the allegations during his 2022 transgression trial, but successful the April 15 uncovering of the defamation lawsuit helium brought against Channel10, helium was found, connected the equilibrium of probabilities, to person raped his erstwhile workfellow Brittany Higgins successful Parliament House aft a nighttime drinking successful Canberra successful March 2019.

Those proceedings were aborted owed to juror misconduct. The ACT authorities past launched an enquiry into the handling of the transgression lawsuit aft erstwhile Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold, SC, accused constabulary of trying to undermine the prosecution.

Sofronoff, successful his report, made respective findings against Drumgold, which the second sought to void done proceedings successful the ACT Supreme Court connected the grounds that Sofronoff held an apprehended bias against him, denied him earthy justness and made findings that were legally unreasonable.

In findings for Drumgold, Justice Stephen Kaye successful March ruled Sofronoff could beryllium reasonably seen to person had his findings influenced by The Australian columnist Janet Albrechtsen, with whom helium had extended interaction during the people of the probe.

During 3 days of hearings past month, Drumgold’s lawyer Dan O’Gorman, SC, alleged Albrechtsen “infected” Sofronoff with her ain bias against the authoritative done the extended interaction betwixt the seat of the enquiry and the columnist implicit respective months.

Drumgold, who resigned from his relation arsenic apical authoritative pursuing the enquiry past year, is present facing ineligible enactment from elder ACT constabulary successful the Federal Court.

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