Phuong Ngo to stay behind bars

POLITICAL assassin Phuong Ngo will remain behind bars for the rest of his life after this morning losing a multi-million inquiry into his conviction.

POLITICAL assassin Phuong Ngo will remain behind bars for the rest of his life after this morning losing a multi-million inquiry into his conviction.

Instead of overturning Ngo's murder conviction, the inquiry has backfired for the former Fairfield councillor with the evidence establishing an even stronger case for his guilt, said retired judge David Patten. 

John Newman, the Labor MP for Cabramatta, was gunned down in the driveway of his home at 9.30pm on September 5, 1994.

After an inquest, an aborted trial and a hung jury, Ngo, 49, who ran the local Mekong Club, was convicted of arranging the murder and jailed for life.

Two other accused men, who worked for Ngo at the Mekong Club, were acquitted.

The inquiry into his conviction was ordered by the Chief Justice Jim Spigleman following a programme on ABC TV's Four Corners and based on a submission by Canberra academic Hugh Selby.

The submission said that mobile phone evidence incorrectly placed Ngo around the murder scene.

However the Chief Justice was not told that Ngo had already admitted when he gave evidence in one of his trials that he was in the murder area.

Handing down his 211-page report this morning, Mr Patten said that strength of the evidence against Ngo had been virtually ignored by his supporters in their submissions to the inquiry.
 
"Material put before the inquiry increased rather than diminished the strength of the Crown's case at trial,'' Mr Patten said.

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the findings of the inquiry vindicated the police.

The officers, including Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas who headed the investigation into Newman's murder, had been criticised by Ngo's supporters in submissions to the inquiry.

He said Mr Patten had "comprehensively demolished'' any suggestions that the conviction of Phuong Ngo may have been flawed.

"It vindicates the work of a very determined group of police officers who over many years prepared evidence and appeared before a Coroners Court, three Supreme Court trials, an Appeals Court, the High Court and now a judicial review,'' Mr Scipione said.

"Importantly, former judge Patten notes that our officers acted properly and competently.''

Mr Scipione has thanked Mr Patten for singling out the work of Deputy Commissioner Kaldas.

"Nick has suffered at the hands of those who attempted to undermine the countless hours he spent on this case. He had no agenda other than being a determined investigator looking at the facts,'' Mr Scipione said.

"Police arrested and charged the right man.''