NT ICAC commissioner Michael Riches on indefinite leave at $500,000 per year as investigation continues

NT ICAC commissioner Michael Riches, who is under investigation himself, is now on indefinite leave while continuing to pocket his eye-watering salary.

NT Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Michael Riches.

NT ICAC commissioner Michael Riches, who was set to return to his position this week following an investigation into allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” made by his staff, is now on indefinite leave and still pocketing an eye-watering salary of almost half a million dollars.

In June Mr Riches was cleared of any wrongdoing after being investigated for offering his wife $20,000 on the condition she withdrew a domestic violence order application against him, however, during the investigation further allegations of alleged inappropriate behaviour were made by his staff.

The allegations “relating to employment-related matters” were raised by staff about Mr Riches to the NT ICAC Inspector Bruce McClintock SC, who spearheaded the investigation into Mr Riches after it was revealed a DVO application was served on him in May last year but withdrawn shortly after the financial offer was made.

Mr Riches was placed on an “approved leave of absence” and set to return to work on Monday or “at the conclusion of the investigation process” while the allegations made by his staff were investigated by the Commissioner for Public Employment.

On Tuesday a spokesperson for NT chief minister Lia Finocchiaro said Mr Riches was “on continued leave”, and that the investigation into him was ongoing.

“The acting ICAC Ms Naomi Loudon will continue to act in the role while Mr Riches is on leave,” the spokesperson said.

In June, a spokesperson for then NT Chief Minister Eva Lawler said the new allegations had been referred to the Commissioner for Public Employment.

“During the course of the ICAC Inspector’s examination, he received allegations relating to employment-related matters within the Office of the ICAC,” the spokesperson said.

“The ICAC Inspector determined that these matters were outside the scope of his inquiries and should be referred to the Commissioner for Public Employment, which has been done.”

The 49-year-old 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 conduct and anti-democratic conduct” among public officers and bodies, but has not been performing in his role since taking unplanned leave at the end of May after his ex wife made allegations about him.

Jennifer Riches.

Mr Riches, who is on an annual salary of almost $500,000, offered Ms 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.”

Mr McClintock found the allegation that the anti-corruption chief had improperly offered the payment to Ms Riches to suppress any allegations of domestic violence made by her “not to be true” and he could not “conclusively” determine whether the domestic violence allegations made against Mr Riches were true.

According to legal correspondence between the couple obtained by The Australian, prior to Ms Riches filing her DVO application, she sought $30,000 as ­“urgent lump sum spousal maintenance”.

The Australian does not suggest the new allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” are true, only that they are being investigated.

Mr Riches has previously declined numerous requests by this masthead to discuss the allegations in detail, and previously said he was unaware of the nature of new allegations made by his staff.

“If there are human resource matters within my office to be addressed, I want them addressed,” he said in June.

He did not respond to a request for comment.