Ramzi Jabbour cleared of charges after office colleagues helped with a child’s homework

Getting office colleagues to help with a child’s homework is not a crime even if you are one of the highest ranking police officers in Australia.

Getting office colleagues to help with a child’s homework is not criminal even if you are one of the highest ranking police officer’s in Australia, a court has ruled on what’s been described as an “utter madness” prosecution.

Ramzi Jabbour’s distinguished police career came to an abrupt halt when in 2019 he became the first Australian Federal Police deputy commissioner to ever be charged in Australia.

He was charged with dishonestly exercising influence as a public official and possession of a prohibited weapon, which on paper sounded serious enough but when the facts were heard in the ACT Magistrates Court, he was cleared of any wrongdoing in what would be an embarrassment for Australia’s corruption watchdog, ACLEI.

Magistrate James Stewart found Mr Jabbour not guilty to both charges and questioned whether the dishonesty allegation should ever have been prosecuted criminally at all.

Former AFP deputy commissioner Ramzi Jabbour leaves the ACT Magistrates Court after being cleared of dishonesty and firearms charges. Picture: Craig Dunlop

Mr Jabbour, one of the country’s top counter terrorism officers, had been seen as the front runner to take over the AFP from former AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin but was effectively removed from consideration for the top job when a cloud over his future formed.

The charges related to Mr Jabbour asking an AFP lawyer to answer a series of basic legal questions, saying they were for his studies when they were in fact for a child’s school assignment.

Magistrate Stewart said there was no evidence the lawyer’s ability to do his job was affected by helping with the child’s homework assignment and many workers perform minor non-work tasks on the clock.

Former AFP deputy commissioner Ramzi Jabbour leaves the ACT Magistrates Court after being cleared of dishonesty and firearms charges. Picture: Craig Dunlop

Mr Jabbour was also accused of taking his police gun to a secret facility in regional NSW in 2018 and allowing two relatives to shoot it.

At the facility, highly trained marksmen shot and killed kangaroos, although neither Mr Jabbour’s conduct there, nor anyone else, were ever the subject of charges.

The prosecution case was that Mr Jabbour was acting outside his duties when travelling to and from the facility, and was effectively using a prohibited weapon as a civilian.

Magistrate Stewart said a lack of evidence meant Mr Jabbour could have been entitled to recall himself back on duty, or that he was performing work duties, despite being on leave.

During the hearings the ACT Magistrates Court was told Mr Jabbour was one of the hardest working AFP executives who had dedicated his life to the organisation, regularly worked weekends, nights and very early mornings.

A string of some of Australia’s most senior former law enforcement officers, including former AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty, lined up to give evidence on his behalf.

AFP National Manager Serious and Organised Crime, Assistant Commissioner Ramzi Jabbour at a press conference at AFP headquarters in Canberra.

Outside court, Mr Jabbour’s barrister Ken Archer said his client was a man of the highest integrity, and remained well respected among senior law enforcement.

“The findings today vindicate that point of view,” he said. “He is an innocent man, he is a decent man, and the outcome today truly serves the interests of justice.”

Around the time Mr Jabbour was under investigation, there had been a grubby internal mudslinging campaign in the AFP which was playing out by supporters of candidates who were jockeying for the coveted position.

He worked with the AFP for three decades leading complex and challenging high profile organised crime and people smuggling investigations in Australia and internationally including counter terrorism operations Pendennis and Rain, major drug importations, people smuggling, serious fraud and human trafficking.

He was one of the first AFP officers deployed to Bali in the wake of the 2002 bombings.

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Originally published as Ramzi Jabbour cleared of charges after office colleagues helped with a child’s homework