Latest news with #IntegrityCommission
The Advertiser
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Lehrmann inquiry boss's win before corruption appeal
A former Supreme Court judge has had his path cleared to fight a finding he engaged in corrupt conduct during his inquiry into Bruce Lehrmann's criminal prosecution. Walter Sofronoff KC is asking the Federal Court to toss out the ACT corruption watchdog's March decision, which stemmed from leaks to a journalist. But lawyers for the ACT parliament's Speaker claimed the appeal should be dismissed because the Integrity Commission's report on Mr Sofronoff's inquiry is protected by parliamentary privilege. Parliamentary privilege is designed to allow parliament to go about its business without outside interference, such as from the courts. Mr Sofronoff's lawyer, Adam Pomerenke KC, argued parliamentary privilege did not extend to the report published by the watchdog on their website. Justice Wendy Abraham on Wednesday granted leave for the ACT parliamentary Speaker to make submissions about privilege but warned she wasn't persuaded by their argument. "I am not satisfied that the conduct of the proceedings on the material on which the applicant wishes to rely involves an infringement of section 16 of the Parliamentary Privileges Act," she said. Justice Abraham will hand down her reasons at a later stage. The decision cleared the way for Mr Sofronoff's appeal against the corrupt conduct findings, which will be heard in late July. Mr Sofronoff chaired a board of inquiry into the ACT's criminal justice system after controversy plagued the prosecution of Lehrmann, accused of raping then-colleague Brittany Higgins in a ministerial office at Parliament House in 2019. A 2022 criminal trial was abandoned without a verdict because of juror misconduct. The Sofronoff inquiry found the ACT's top prosecutor, Shane Drumgold, had lost objectivity over the Lehrmann case and had knowingly lied about a note of his meeting with broadcaster Lisa Wilkinson. The ACT Integrity Commission found the majority of the inquiry's findings were not legally unreasonable. But it found Mr Sofronoff's behaviour during the inquiry gave rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias and he might have been influenced by the publicly expressed views of journalist Janet Albrechtsen. Mr Sofronoff repeatedly messaged the News Corp journalist and eventually leaked her an advance copy of his probe's final report. That leak led to the Integrity Commission's "serious corrupt conduct finding" in March. Mr Sofronoff's appeal comes as Lehrmann is making his own bid to clear his name after he was found to have, on the balance of probabilities, raped Ms Higgins inside Parliament House. A former Supreme Court judge has had his path cleared to fight a finding he engaged in corrupt conduct during his inquiry into Bruce Lehrmann's criminal prosecution. Walter Sofronoff KC is asking the Federal Court to toss out the ACT corruption watchdog's March decision, which stemmed from leaks to a journalist. But lawyers for the ACT parliament's Speaker claimed the appeal should be dismissed because the Integrity Commission's report on Mr Sofronoff's inquiry is protected by parliamentary privilege. Parliamentary privilege is designed to allow parliament to go about its business without outside interference, such as from the courts. Mr Sofronoff's lawyer, Adam Pomerenke KC, argued parliamentary privilege did not extend to the report published by the watchdog on their website. Justice Wendy Abraham on Wednesday granted leave for the ACT parliamentary Speaker to make submissions about privilege but warned she wasn't persuaded by their argument. "I am not satisfied that the conduct of the proceedings on the material on which the applicant wishes to rely involves an infringement of section 16 of the Parliamentary Privileges Act," she said. Justice Abraham will hand down her reasons at a later stage. The decision cleared the way for Mr Sofronoff's appeal against the corrupt conduct findings, which will be heard in late July. Mr Sofronoff chaired a board of inquiry into the ACT's criminal justice system after controversy plagued the prosecution of Lehrmann, accused of raping then-colleague Brittany Higgins in a ministerial office at Parliament House in 2019. A 2022 criminal trial was abandoned without a verdict because of juror misconduct. The Sofronoff inquiry found the ACT's top prosecutor, Shane Drumgold, had lost objectivity over the Lehrmann case and had knowingly lied about a note of his meeting with broadcaster Lisa Wilkinson. The ACT Integrity Commission found the majority of the inquiry's findings were not legally unreasonable. But it found Mr Sofronoff's behaviour during the inquiry gave rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias and he might have been influenced by the publicly expressed views of journalist Janet Albrechtsen. Mr Sofronoff repeatedly messaged the News Corp journalist and eventually leaked her an advance copy of his probe's final report. That leak led to the Integrity Commission's "serious corrupt conduct finding" in March. Mr Sofronoff's appeal comes as Lehrmann is making his own bid to clear his name after he was found to have, on the balance of probabilities, raped Ms Higgins inside Parliament House. A former Supreme Court judge has had his path cleared to fight a finding he engaged in corrupt conduct during his inquiry into Bruce Lehrmann's criminal prosecution. Walter Sofronoff KC is asking the Federal Court to toss out the ACT corruption watchdog's March decision, which stemmed from leaks to a journalist. But lawyers for the ACT parliament's Speaker claimed the appeal should be dismissed because the Integrity Commission's report on Mr Sofronoff's inquiry is protected by parliamentary privilege. Parliamentary privilege is designed to allow parliament to go about its business without outside interference, such as from the courts. Mr Sofronoff's lawyer, Adam Pomerenke KC, argued parliamentary privilege did not extend to the report published by the watchdog on their website. Justice Wendy Abraham on Wednesday granted leave for the ACT parliamentary Speaker to make submissions about privilege but warned she wasn't persuaded by their argument. "I am not satisfied that the conduct of the proceedings on the material on which the applicant wishes to rely involves an infringement of section 16 of the Parliamentary Privileges Act," she said. Justice Abraham will hand down her reasons at a later stage. The decision cleared the way for Mr Sofronoff's appeal against the corrupt conduct findings, which will be heard in late July. Mr Sofronoff chaired a board of inquiry into the ACT's criminal justice system after controversy plagued the prosecution of Lehrmann, accused of raping then-colleague Brittany Higgins in a ministerial office at Parliament House in 2019. A 2022 criminal trial was abandoned without a verdict because of juror misconduct. The Sofronoff inquiry found the ACT's top prosecutor, Shane Drumgold, had lost objectivity over the Lehrmann case and had knowingly lied about a note of his meeting with broadcaster Lisa Wilkinson. The ACT Integrity Commission found the majority of the inquiry's findings were not legally unreasonable. But it found Mr Sofronoff's behaviour during the inquiry gave rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias and he might have been influenced by the publicly expressed views of journalist Janet Albrechtsen. Mr Sofronoff repeatedly messaged the News Corp journalist and eventually leaked her an advance copy of his probe's final report. That leak led to the Integrity Commission's "serious corrupt conduct finding" in March. Mr Sofronoff's appeal comes as Lehrmann is making his own bid to clear his name after he was found to have, on the balance of probabilities, raped Ms Higgins inside Parliament House. A former Supreme Court judge has had his path cleared to fight a finding he engaged in corrupt conduct during his inquiry into Bruce Lehrmann's criminal prosecution. Walter Sofronoff KC is asking the Federal Court to toss out the ACT corruption watchdog's March decision, which stemmed from leaks to a journalist. But lawyers for the ACT parliament's Speaker claimed the appeal should be dismissed because the Integrity Commission's report on Mr Sofronoff's inquiry is protected by parliamentary privilege. Parliamentary privilege is designed to allow parliament to go about its business without outside interference, such as from the courts. Mr Sofronoff's lawyer, Adam Pomerenke KC, argued parliamentary privilege did not extend to the report published by the watchdog on their website. Justice Wendy Abraham on Wednesday granted leave for the ACT parliamentary Speaker to make submissions about privilege but warned she wasn't persuaded by their argument. "I am not satisfied that the conduct of the proceedings on the material on which the applicant wishes to rely involves an infringement of section 16 of the Parliamentary Privileges Act," she said. Justice Abraham will hand down her reasons at a later stage. The decision cleared the way for Mr Sofronoff's appeal against the corrupt conduct findings, which will be heard in late July. Mr Sofronoff chaired a board of inquiry into the ACT's criminal justice system after controversy plagued the prosecution of Lehrmann, accused of raping then-colleague Brittany Higgins in a ministerial office at Parliament House in 2019. A 2022 criminal trial was abandoned without a verdict because of juror misconduct. The Sofronoff inquiry found the ACT's top prosecutor, Shane Drumgold, had lost objectivity over the Lehrmann case and had knowingly lied about a note of his meeting with broadcaster Lisa Wilkinson. The ACT Integrity Commission found the majority of the inquiry's findings were not legally unreasonable. But it found Mr Sofronoff's behaviour during the inquiry gave rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias and he might have been influenced by the publicly expressed views of journalist Janet Albrechtsen. Mr Sofronoff repeatedly messaged the News Corp journalist and eventually leaked her an advance copy of his probe's final report. That leak led to the Integrity Commission's "serious corrupt conduct finding" in March. Mr Sofronoff's appeal comes as Lehrmann is making his own bid to clear his name after he was found to have, on the balance of probabilities, raped Ms Higgins inside Parliament House.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Lehrmann inquiry boss's win before corruption appeal
A former Supreme Court judge has had his path cleared to fight a finding he engaged in corrupt conduct during his inquiry into Bruce Lehrmann's criminal prosecution. Walter Sofronoff KC is asking the Federal Court to toss out the ACT corruption watchdog's March decision, which stemmed from leaks to a journalist. But lawyers for the ACT parliament's Speaker claimed the appeal should be dismissed because the Integrity Commission's report on Mr Sofronoff's inquiry is protected by parliamentary privilege. Parliamentary privilege is designed to allow parliament to go about its business without outside interference, such as from the courts. Mr Sofronoff's lawyer, Adam Pomerenke KC, argued parliamentary privilege did not extend to the report published by the watchdog on their website. Justice Wendy Abraham on Wednesday granted leave for the ACT parliamentary Speaker to make submissions about privilege but warned she wasn't persuaded by their argument. "I am not satisfied that the conduct of the proceedings on the material on which the applicant wishes to rely involves an infringement of section 16 of the Parliamentary Privileges Act," she said. Justice Abraham will hand down her reasons at a later stage. The decision cleared the way for Mr Sofronoff's appeal against the corrupt conduct findings, which will be heard in late July. Mr Sofronoff chaired a board of inquiry into the ACT's criminal justice system after controversy plagued the prosecution of Lehrmann, accused of raping then-colleague Brittany Higgins in a ministerial office at Parliament House in 2019. A 2022 criminal trial was abandoned without a verdict because of juror misconduct. The Sofronoff inquiry found the ACT's top prosecutor, Shane Drumgold, had lost objectivity over the Lehrmann case and had knowingly lied about a note of his meeting with broadcaster Lisa Wilkinson. The ACT Integrity Commission found the majority of the inquiry's findings were not legally unreasonable. But it found Mr Sofronoff's behaviour during the inquiry gave rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias and he might have been influenced by the publicly expressed views of journalist Janet Albrechtsen. Mr Sofronoff repeatedly messaged the News Corp journalist and eventually leaked her an advance copy of his probe's final report. That leak led to the Integrity Commission's "serious corrupt conduct finding" in March. Mr Sofronoff's appeal comes as Lehrmann is making his own bid to clear his name after he was found to have, on the balance of probabilities, raped Ms Higgins inside Parliament House.
ABC News
19-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Tasmanian premier unsure why Integrity Commission scrapped reform of oversight of state's political lobbyists
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has said it is up to the state's Integrity Commission to explain why it has decided not to implement a new oversight model for lobbyists. The commissioner emailed those affected by the model on Monday to say it would not be going ahead with the new system "at this time", but has not provided a reason. The model has been in development since 2022 and was due to start on July 1, requiring all MPs, heads of government agencies, and political advisers to disclose contact with lobbyists within five days. It would then be publicly disclosed, including whether the lobbyist was attempting to influence legislation, government grants or contracts, funding allocations, and government policies. A lobbyist is someone who either receives a fee to lobby on behalf of a client or is directly employed as a lobbyist by a company. Tasmania has 70 registered lobbyists, including former premiers Paul Lennon and Will Hodgman, Mr Hodgman's former chief of staff Brad Stansfield, Mr Rockliff's former chief of staff Vanessa Field, and former federal MP Christopher Pyne. Mr Rockliff said he was unaware why the new model was not proceeding. "I haven't spoken to the Integrity Commission," he said. "It's up to them to outline their reasons. The Integrity Commission would not comment on why it made the decision, other than to say the decision was made by its board. The new lobbyist oversight system had gone through multiple rounds of consultation and drafts before a final recommendation was reached. In one proposed model, the Integrity Commission described the system as a "significant transparency measure" that would "enhance confidence in government decision making". It would have introduced a 12-month 'cooling off' period before MPs and political advisers could transition into lobbying activities. Success fees would have been banned, with Tasmania the only state or territory that still allows lobbyists to be paid for getting specific outcomes for clients. A proposal that prevented lobbyists who advise in election campaigns to go straight back into lobbying was dropped from the final recommendation. This proposal had attracted extensive criticism from Liberal-linked firm Font PR, which argued it had been "unfairly targeted". Labor leader Dean Winter said he suspected the state election was a reason for the system not being implemented. He said Tasmania needed stronger integrity oversight. Nelson independent MLC Meg Webb said the model would have lacked enforcement powers, and should be legislated. "We need to legislate this new oversight regime so that it's not able to come and go at the whim of somebody," she said. "There also needs to be a head of power for enforcing it. The policy settings around the Integrity Commission have been a regular source of debate in Tasmania. The government has implemented six out of 55 recommendations from a 2016 review. This review was itself reviewed by the Justice Department in 2022, but no further recommendations have made headway. These recommendations included adding a definition of "serious misconduct", that the Integrity Commission maintain jurisdiction over matters referred to other public authorities, and removing the privilege of self-incrimination. The government agreed to carry out an independent review of the Integrity Commission as part of its supply and confidence deal with the Jacqui Lambie Network, but this was cancelled in February, which the government said was due to it interfering with a parliamentary committee. That review had been used as a reason not to carry out reforms to the Integrity Commission. The length of time for the Integrity Commission to carry out investigations has also been criticised, with at least one government MP being investigated for more than three years. In the Integrity Commission's latest annual report, Chief Commissioner Greg Melick said it was "the most under-funded integrity body in the country". "Regrettably, our investigations are protracted as our staff are forced to juggle multiple competing priorities," he wrote. The most recent state budget included $3.7 million in operational funding for the Integrity Commission, a near identical amount of funding provided in each of the past two budgets.
Iraqi News
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Iraqi News
Head of Integrity Commission: We Will Not Allow Public Funds to Be Exploited in Election Campaigns
The Head of the Federal Commission of Integrity, Mohammed Ali Al-Lami, affirmed on Monday that public funds must not be exploited in election campaigns. According to a statement from the Commission, received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), 'Head of the Integrity Commission Mohammed Ali Al-Lami met today with the Chairman and members of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission.' Al-Lami emphasized that 'the Commission will form field teams in Baghdad and the provinces to visit the Electoral Commission and its branches, in coordination with it, to verify the integrity of the procedures in place and to ensure that public resources are not misused during electoral campaigns.' He noted that 'individuals covered by the General Amnesty Law who have had judicial rulings issued against them are not permitted to run in the elections.' He also warned against 'exploiting official positions and executive offices for electoral purposes,' and called on the Commission to 'instruct party leaders and founders to submit financial disclosure statements through the Department of Political Parties and Organizations Affairs.' Al-Lami further confirmed that 'the Commission will monitor the sources of party funding and how those funds are spent, in accordance with its legal mandate.' For his part, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Omar Ahmed Mohammed, expressed the Electoral Commission's 'full readiness to cooperate with the Integrity Commission,' praising its initiative to 'support transparency, protect public funds, and monitor the election campaigns of political blocs and their candidates.'
Shafaq News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
PM Al-Sudani orders crackdown on state funds misuse ahead of elections
Shafaq News/ Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani on Saturday urged stronger action to prevent the misuse of state resources during campaigns for the upcoming November 11 parliamentary elections. In a meeting with Integrity Commission Chairman Mohammed Ali Al-Lami, Al-Sudani emphasized the need for robust oversight to ensure the elections reflect the true will of the Iraqi people, according to a statement from his media office. He called for closer coordination among the Integrity Commission, the Federal Board of Supreme Audit, and the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to monitor and respond to potential violations. Al-Lami confirmed that the commission had completed a comprehensive review and assembled specialized teams to detect misuse and uphold fair competition among candidates.
