Retired deputy police commissioner Nick Kaldas tries to stop ‘flawed’ illegal bugging report going public
FORMER NSW deputy police commissioner Nick Kaldas has begun legal proceedings to stop the publication of Operation Prospect — the investigation into the illegal bugging of more than 100 cops.
NSW
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- NSW Ombudsman to recommend charges against police officers
- Report into the illegal bugging of more than 100 police officers to be made public
FORMER NSW deputy police commissioner Nick Kaldas has begun legal proceedings to stop the publication of Operation Prospect by the NSW Ombudsman.
Lawyers for Mr Kaldas will lodge papers late today claiming the four year investigation into the illegal bugging of him and more than 100 other officers was flawed.
The much awaited report — which cost more than $10m — was due to be published in the next two weeks but is now expected to be delayed due to the legal proceedings initiated by Kaldas.
“Very serious issues concerning the unlawful obtaining of warrants from the Supreme Court of NSW and the unlawful use of listening devices have been raised over a long period of time by Nick Kaldas, other senior members of the NSW Police Force as well as members of the public,’’ he said through a statement issued by the law firm William Roberts Lawyers.
The statement went on to attack the investigation carried out by former Ombudsman Bruce Barbour, who quit before completing the report.
“The present investigation by the Ombudsman has been fundamentally flawed from the beginning. The Ombudsman was never properly equipped to conduct the investigation,” the statement reads.
“There is no confidence by my client or others that the Ombudsman will get to the truth but rather cause unnecessary anguish for police officers and their families.”
The inquiry was to investigate claims that a secret police internal affairs unit illegally bugged Kaldas and other officers over a number of years from 2000.
Both current commissioner Andrew Scipione and his Deputy Cath Burn worked for the unit at the time.
“The proceedings have been commenced reluctantly because repeated attempts to have the Ombudsman address concerns that have been raised by my client in relation to the investigation have been ignored.’’
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