Senior Liberals Michael Sukkar and Kevin Andrews cleared of office rorts

Two senior federal Liberal MPs have been cleared of misusing their taxpayer funded offices for alleged branch stacking.

The findings clear the way for Michael Sukkar to remain on the frontbench and potentially rise to a more senior portfolio. Picture: Sean Davey.

Two senior federal Liberals have been cleared of wrongly using taxpayer-funded staff for party political purposes after factional opponents tried to destroy their careers.

Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar and former federal minister Kevin Andrews have been cleared of wrongly using taxpayer-funded resources for branch-stacking.

The Finance Department revealed on Tuesday it had hired an independent reviewer to examine the allegations, which were made in the context of internal Victorian Liberal Party brawling among rival right-wing members.

The review examined office records and investigated the employment arrangements in both offices.

“Further investigation of the matters within the scope of the review is not warranted as there is not a sufficient basis to form a view that there was serious misuse of commonwealth resources under the (relevant legislation),” it found.

“There is no basis to refer the matter to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority under the protocol because there is no evidence of serious misuse of work expenses.”

The findings, published on the departmental website, clear the way for Mr Sukkar to remain on the frontbench and potentially to be promoted to a more senior portfolio.

The Finance Department launched the investigation after Mr Sukkar and Mr Andrews asked for the inquiry into their staffing arrangements.

This was after stories run by Nine newspapers and 60 Minutes alleged a sophisticated recruitment strategy that included the misuse of publicly funded ­resources.

It was alleged that former Liberal powerbroker Marcus Bastiaan had directed taxpayer-funded electoral staff to stack branches while working for Mr Sukkar and Mr Andrews.

Mr Bastiaan quit the Liberal Party over the allegations, which also embroiled former Liberal federal vice-president Karina Okotel.

Kevin Andrews. Picture: Jason Edwards

Ms Okotel is a former close associate of Mr Bastiaan, and her brother Joshua Bonney had worked in Mr Sukkar’s office in late 2018.

However, Ms Okotel, who was an intimate friend and political ally of the Bastiaan family, split from the Bastiaan forces and her numbers were used to help bolster the current Liberal Party hierarchy.

The Australian revealed in August that Ms Okotel had been part of a move to promote ­religious candidates for pre­selection and place conservative warlords in electorates to organise internal activities.

She has not responded to ­repeated attempts by The Australian to contact her.

The Australian also revealed that Ms Okotel had previously penned a defamatory dirt sheet that covered intimate details of MPs’ private lives, fuelling demands she be expelled from the party.

KordaMentha is investi­gating the Victorian Liberal Party membership systems and as part of the audit is examining internal issues such as Ms ­Okotel’s dirt sheet.

She privately admitted writing the document, which opponents believe breached party rules.

The Department of Finance findings were forecast by Mr Sukkar, who has consistently denied wrongdoing.

“All staffing decisions made by me have been appropriate -— that’s why I’ve referred it to the Secretary of the Department of Finance,’’ he told Sky News last month.

“They’re undertaking their review, we’re working with them and I’m very confident of that review process.”

The Victorian Liberal Party has been investigating the branch-stacking fallout, including whether Ms Okotel had breached party rules. The party did not respond last night.

Former Young Liberal vice-president Alex Lisov also has resigned from the party over the controversy.

State president Robert Clark has privately stated that all matters relating to the branch-­stacking scandal will be pursued.

Recorded phone calls were published of Mr Sukkar plotting to remove four sitting Victorian Liberal state MPs.

Mr Bastiaan was recorded targeting up to six federal Liberal MPs and exposed using crude language about colleagues.

Mr Sukkar has emphatically denied any involvement in branch stacking and Mr Bastiaan claimed he had not breached the party’s constitution.

The warring in the Victorian Liberal Party has been legendary in recent years and was exacerbated when Ms Okotel split from Mr Bastiaan.