Crime and Corruption Commission to investigate claims about Brisbane Councillor

Queensland’s corruption watchdog will investigate claims about a Brisbane City Councillor after it finalised its assessment of a referral made by her own party.

Brisbane Councillor Kate Richards’ lawyer said he had asked the CCC to give the highest priority to the investigation so it can be “done and wrapped up very quickly”.

THE state’s corruption watchdog will investigate claims about a Brisbane City Councillor after it finalised its assessment of a referral made by her own party.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the Crime and Corruption Commission has determined to further investigate claims relating to LNP councillor Kate Richards.

It comes after the LNP last month referred the Pullenvale Ward councillor to the CCC and announced that she would not be their candidate at the March council election.

In a statement on Thursday night, a CCC spokesman said it had finalised its assessment of the matter and had determined to investigate it further.

“It is important to note all allegations should be treated as unsubstantiated until a final outcome is reached,” he said.

“It’s not appropriate for the CCC to comment further while the investigation remains ongoing.”

Cr Richard’s lawyer, Terry O’Gorman, on Thursday night said that he had asked the CCC to give the highest priority to the investigation so it can be “done and wrapped up very quickly”.

“We’ll cooperate with them quickly and to the utmost,” he said.

The LNP has never revealed the claims it referred to the CCC.

In December, Mr O’Gorman said he believed it was “most unlikely” that Cr Richards would be charged with an offence.

“She has been subject to undermining, she has been subject to white-anting ever since she was preselected three or four years ago,” he said at the time.

Cr Richards has previously said that there was a faction within the LNP that had been trying to vilify her since she had been preselected as the Pullenvale Ward candidate ahead of the 2016 council election.

A spokesman for the LNP said they would not be commenting on the deliberations of the CCC.

“However, the question of whether a person meets the standards we require of our candidates and members is very much a matter for the LNP,” he said.