Secret report reveals explosive allegations condemning Crime and Corruption Commission

Explosive allegations are contained in a secret report condemning Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission, writes Des Houghton.

An official at the Crime and Corruption Commission has been accused of criminal behaviour.

And a CCC investigator has been accused of attempting to fabricate evidence in a separate matter.

Explosive allegations of perjury were made against the official by three barristers in a secret report to the PCCC, the parliamentary committee which oversees the CCC.

The three-page report by Saul Holt QC, Andrew Herbert QC and an unidentified Victorian silk has not been made public.

It followed allegations in Parliament of a “travesty of justice” when seven Logan City councillors were improperly blocked from recontesting the local government election following unsubstantiated fraud charges.

In an unrelated investigation, a serving Labor Party Member of Parliament was urged by a CCC investigator to sign a statement he did not make.

“They tried to brick a sitting member of Parliament,” said Greg Hallam, the former chief of the Local Government Association of Queensland.

He condemned the CCC for fostering a culture of deceit.

Hallam said the policeman acted improperly while investigating allegations against the mayor of a regional council in December 2019. That interview was not tied to the Logan matter that led to the parliamentary inquiry onto the CCC.

“The policeman involved did not record the interview and came back with a record of interview that did not in any way reflect the discussion with the MP who quite courageously and correctly refused to sign it,’’ Hallam said.

Hallam said he and his legal advisers believed the incident was one of several that showed the CCC had a “complete and utter disregard for proper process”.

“Many of those matters have already been covered in our submission to the inquiry,” he said.

He added: “I think it would be very useful for the appropriate authorities to speak to a lot of former police that were attached to the CCC to understand from them what, if any, pressures were placed on them to prosecute.”

Jonathan Horton QC, who told the parliamentary inquiry that CCC chair Alan MacSporran had not ensured the CCC acted impartially, independently, and fairly at all times.

Hallam said one policeman seconded to the CCC complained he “got the heave-ho” because he would not prosecute a certain case. The policeman rightly believed there was not enough evidence to bring a conviction.

Another police officer was handed the case and the prosecution fell over in court, he said.

“As I say, the CCC is a shit-show from top to bottom.

“They start with an idea then try to find the evidence to fit it.

“They are cherrypicking their evidence. They ignore certain evidence; they don’t specifically interview certain people.

“They have pretty much complete disregard for the police handbooks of the prosecution process.

“That’s been put by Mr Horton QC himself at the inquiry.’’

Hallam pointed out that Jonathan Horton QC told the parliamentary inquiry that CCC chair Alan MacSporran had not ensured the CCC acted impartially, independently, and fairly at all times.

He agreed with Horton that MacSporran’s appointment should be terminated.

Horton told Parliament “We submit that that failing is serious and reflects poorly on his standing as chair of the CCC”. “It’s open to you to conclude … that the resistance to scrutiny and to accept error is a problem of leadership and you may not as a committee have the confidence that the chair can ensure the organisation’s continued impartiality, independence and fairness. For that reason, we’ve raised for your consideration the question of whether you would wish to make any recommendation to the Legislative Assembly in accordance with … section 236 [termination of appointment].”

The drama will reach its crescendo when the final report of the PCCC is presented to Parliament on November 30.