The ACT Integrity Fee is assessing corruption allegations concerning Walter Sofronoff, over claims he disclosed data to the media in the course of the inquiry he oversaw into the dealing with of Bruce Lehrmann’s felony trial.
Mr Sofronoff was final 12 months tasked with analyzing whether or not the investigation and trial in opposition to Mr Lehrmann, over Brittany Higgins’ accusations her former colleague raped her inside Parliament Home in 2019, had been topic to political affect.
The trial in opposition to Mr Lehrmann was deserted and he has at all times maintained his innocence.
Mr Sofronoff’s ultimate report — which made antagonistic findings in opposition to former ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold – was disclosed to some sections of the media earlier than being handed to the ACT authorities, which made antagonistic findings in opposition to Mr Drumgold, resulting in his resignation.
The territory’s integrity commissioner mentioned he was investigating allegations regarding disclosures made by Mr Sofronoff to media organisations, earlier than the ultimate report was handed to the ACT authorities.
Michael Adams KC mentioned it was within the “public curiosity” to reveal he’s trying into the matter.
“Given the extraordinary and ongoing public discourse in regards to the conduct of the Board of Inquiry and the current judgement within the Supreme Courtroom in Drumgold v Board of Inquiry and Ors, I’ve decided that it’s within the public curiosity to reveal that the Fee is assessing whether or not the problems name for investigation,” he mentioned.
“I see no reputational injury arising from this announcement, noting that it includes no antagonistic findings of any sort.”
Final month, the Supreme Courtroom dominated Mr Sofronoff’s intensive communications with a columnist in the course of the inquiry he led into the dealing with of the trial gave rise to cheap apprehension of bias in opposition to Mr Drumgold.
Justice Stephen Kaye discovered the inquiry’s head 273 interactions with The Australian columnist Janet Albrechtsen seemed he “might need been influenced by the views held and publicly expressed” by her.
In his report, Mr Sofronoff discovered Mr Drumgold had lied to the Supreme Courtroom within the lead-up to the felony trial, and improperly questioned former minister Linda Reynolds on the stand, amongst different findings”, which Mr Drumgold disputed.
The court docket was requested to evaluate eight of Mr Sofronoff’s findings in opposition to Mr Drumgold, together with that he had improperly questioned former minister Linda Reynolds on the stand in the course of the trial.
The ultimate orders had been that Mr Sofronoff’s findings in opposition to Mr Drumgold on this occasion had been “legally unreasonable”
