‘No record’ of Michael Riches ICAC DVO meeting, says Northern Territory government

NT anti-corruption chief Michael Riches told his estranged wife he had booked a meeting with the Chief Minister to disclose he had been served a domestic violence order – but the NT government has no record of a meeting.

NT Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Michael Riches

The Northern Territory anti-­corruption chief, Michael Riches, told his wife he had booked a meeting with the chief minister to disclose he had been served a domestic violence order but the government has no record of a meeting being made.

The DVO application was withdrawn after Mr Riches offered his now-estranged wife, Jennifer Riches, $12,000 plus $1000 for eight fortnights on the basis she withdrew her DVO application filed with a Darwin Court in May last year, and “contingent upon Mr Riches remaining in his employment at ICAC”.

In correspondence obtained by The Australian, lawyers for Mr Riches wrote that he had arranged a meeting to advise the then-chief minister of the DVO application made by Ms Riches.

“Mr Riches is scheduled to meet with the chief minister at 3pm, 23 May, 2023, to advise (them) of the DVO Application as is required of his employment,” a lawyer for Mr Riches wrote on May 22, after he had been served.

A spokesperson for the office of the Chief Minister told The Australian on Tuesday there was no record of any meeting scheduled. “The office doesn’t have any record of a meeting scheduled between the former chief minister and the ICAC Commissioner on 23 May, 2023,” they said.

“We will refer this line of questioning to the ICAC Inspector for him to make a thorough evaluation of the claim.”

Jennifer Riches, the estranged wife of NT ICAC Commissioner Michael Riches at her new home on Tuesday last week. Picture: Liam Mendes

The apparent meeting never eventuated after the senior law enforcement official agreed to a two-year DVO undertaking, which was processed “in chambers” on a without-admissions basis. This meant the original application did not reach the public court system.

The 49-year-old Mr Riches is overseeing some of the biggest corruption investigations in the country, including into former police officer Zach Rolfe’s allegations of widespread racism in Darwin’s elite police unit.

He is responsible for investigating “cases of corrupt … and anti-democratic conduct” and “serious breaches of public trust” among public officers and bodies.

He is currently subject to the two-year undertaking preventing him from approaching, contacting or stalking Ms Riches after the DVO application was served on him but withdrawn shortly after the financial offer was made.

Government sources told The Australian then-chief minister Natasha Fyles and current Chief Minister Eva Lawler did not know about the DVO until it was made public in the media.

Multiple government sources said the office of the Chief Minister should have “absolutely” been notified of a DVO application, even if it was withdrawn, and especially considering an undertaking had been made in chambers.

“It is common sense that it is something to front up on,” one source said.

Ms Riches has detailed the circumstances leading to the breakdown of the marriage, alleging that Mr Riches’s temper and controlling behaviour caused her to leave the family home and stay in motels on a few occasions during their relationship.

She said she felt “extremely uncomfortable” with CCTV cameras – allegedly funded by ICAC for their safety – installed inside the living areas of the home, covering living and dining rooms and hallways. “I always felt I was being watched all the time,” she told The Australian last week.

On Tuesday, Ms Lawler said Deputy ICAC Commissioner Naomi Loudon had been appointed as acting head of the anti-­corruption body after Mr Riches had taken leave. “The allegations … relating to the ICAC Commissioner have been referred to the ICAC Inspector, and this process will inform next steps,” she said.

Mr Riches did not respond to repeated requests for comment. He has previously said allegations by his former wife are false and defamatory.