The findings of a corruption investigation into a Victorian real estate developer accused of paying bribes to local councilors will remain secret for now, after a judge ordered John Woodman’s civil trial to be held behind closed doors.
Key points:
- John Woodman takes IBAC to court to prevent the watchdog from communicating his findings
- His legal team argues that he has been denied procedural fairness in responding to complaints
- The IBAC commissioner has called on the government and the opposition to consider amendments to the IBAC Act to prevent the conclusions from being obstructed in the courts.
Woodman is accused of paying more than $ 1.2 million to Casey City Councilors for making favorable planning decisions.
According to court documents, Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog has compiled a draft 393-page investigation report that includes adverse conclusions against the developer.
Woodman has taken the Broad-based Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) to the Court of Appeal, in an attempt to prevent the watchdog from submitting its report to Parliament in Victoria.
The legal team of Mr. Woodman argues that he has been denied procedural fairness and has not been given a “reasonable opportunity” to respond to allegations in the draft report. Preliminary IBAC findings were sent to his team in December 2021 and January this year, according to court documents.
On Tuesday, IBAC lawyers and Mr. Woodman told the Court of Appeal that it would be detrimental and that the IBAC Act could be violated if the media reported sections of the draft unpublished investigation, after they were mentioned in the courtroom.
John Woodman is accused of bribing Casey City Councilors for favorable planning decisions. (Provided by: Watsons)
Judge Tim Ginnane agreed and closed the court to the public, but said written communications from legal teams could be released, possibly Wednesday morning.
The closure on Tuesday came after the unauthorized publication of a letter written by IBAC Commissioner Robert Redlich complaining that the judicial system was obstructed by legal challenges.
According to a report by Nine Newspapers, Mr. Redlich wrote to the Attorney General and the opposition, calling for the IBAC Act to be amended so that those nominated in the draft IBAC findings could not use the courts to challenge reporting to Parliament. .
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said he would not “enter into a debate” with the IBAC on whether the laws should be changed.
“They have opinions. Apparently they are very, very upset that these matters are in the public domain. I will let them investigate this,” he said.
Robert Redlich calls for the IBAC Act to be amended. (Offer)
In a statement, an IBAC spokesman confirmed that the commissioner had asked the government and the opposition to consider changing the legislation so that their reports could be submitted “as soon as possible”.
“This will ensure that the findings and lessons learned from the IBAC research can be shared with the public sector and the community at large as a matter of priority,” the spokesman said.
Shadow Treasurer David Davis said the state’s legal system needed “serious improvement.”
“The Opposition is very concerned that key reports may stagnate, that key reports may not be submitted in a timely manner. We are very concerned that key reports will not be submitted before the November state elections,” he said.
Woodman was previously at the center of IBAC’s public hearings that examined his donations to Victorian politicians for political influence, including members of the Labor state government.
The investigation also heard allegations that Mr. Woodman paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to Casey’s advisers to make favorable planning decisions, with money deposited in bank accounts or in suitcases full of cash.
Posted 9 hours ago Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at 5:02 AM, updated 6 hours ago, 6 hours ago, Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at 8:00 AM