Energy Minister Angus Taylor office case referred by police strike force to AFP

NSW Police want the AFP to investigate the alleged Angus Taylor office fake documents saga, saying the document ‘had to have been doctored from Canberra’.

Minister for Energy Angus Taylor. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP

A NSW police strike force has referred its investigation into the office of Energy Minister Angus Taylor to Australian Federal Police, recommending that further inquiries be made in Canberra to prove whether criminal charges can be laid.

The Australian has learned that detectives finalised their investigation and forwarded it to officials at the Australian Federal Police some time ago, however the matter is understood to have stalled without further advancement.

It’s understood NSW Police referred the case to the AFP for further scrutiny because charges cannot be proven from NSW. The investigators have made it clear that the alleged offence occurred outside their jurisdiction, a law enforcement official said.

“The document had to have been doctored from Canberra,” the official said.

Mr Taylor has previously rejected any suggestion that he or his staff forged a City of Sydney Council annual report, which was used to allege that councillors had spent millions of dollars on “unnecessary air travel”.

On September 30 Mr Taylor’s office sent a letter chastising Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore by using the report to claim that the council had “spent $1.7 million on international travel and $14.2 million on domestic travel”.

The figures cited were at odds with the council’s own reported annual figures for the 2017/2018 financial year, in which total travel overseas expenses were calculated at $1,727.77, and at $4206.32 for domestic expenses.

The NSW Police Force investigation was prompted by a referral from Labor’s Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

A NSW Police Force spokesperson said: “Following an investigation by the State Crime Command’s Financial Crimes Squad, the matter has been referred to the Australian Federal Police. No further comment is available.”

An AFP spokesperson said the referral was made by the NSW Police Force on December 20.

“While this matter is being evaluated, it would be inappropriate to comment any further,” they said.