Seven-year hitch: IBAC probes saga drags on
There is no timeline for wrapping up two marathon anti-corruption investigations as a key witness accuses IBAC of exacting ‘punishment by process’ through long delays.
Two anti-corruption investigations are now stretching into their seventh year with a key witness accusing IBAC of exacting “punishment by process” through long delays.
Despite the marathon nature of both inquiries, Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission was unable on Monday to provide a timeline for wrapping up Operation Sandon and Operation Richmond, which have been dragging on since 2019.
Key Operation Sandon witness Sam Aziz, the former mayor of Casey Council, has slammed the anti-corruption agency saying delays were inflicting a form of trauma.
“This is punishment by process,” he told The Australian on Monday.
“If they were going to prosecute me by now, surely they would have already laid charges. But it’s been more than 18 months since the release of the final Sandon report, and I’ve heard nothing.
“This stonewalling exacerbates the trauma we have been through and continue to go through. I wake up every day thinking about this. I need closure, I deserve closure. It’s a form of psychological punishment.”
Operation Sandon, which also secretly grilled former premier Daniel Andrews over his and the ALP’s links to property developer John Woodman, started in 2017 but did not become a full-blown probe until 2019.
The inquiry, which probed a series of allegedly corrupt land deals between Mr Woodman and then Casey councillors, was rocked by controversy in January 2022 when former Casey mayor and witness Amanda Stapledon died by suicide three days after being sent a draft report by IBAC.
In a statement on Monday, IBAC described Operation Sandon as a “complex and long running investigation” that involved 40 days of public examinations of witnesses.
“IBAC has considered what charges (if any) should be filed,” the agency said.
“This includes determining if there is sufficient admissible evidence and if the prosecution is in the public interest, in consultation with the Office of Public Prosecutions.
“This process remains ongoing. IBAC acknowledges the impact that delays in the finalisation of any investigation may have on the people involved, and it remains committed to finalising the matter as efficiently as possible.”
The Australian reported late last year that the OPP was in the final stages of reviewing a brief of evidence submitted by IBAC against Mr Aziz and Mr Woodman. On Monday, the OPP refused to provide any indication when a decision on possible charges would be made. “The OPP is unable to comment in relation to this matter,” a spokesman said.
IBAC also failed to provide any timelines as to when a special report into Operation Richmond would be tabled in parliament. “IBAC is still working towards finalising the Operation Richmond special report. No tabling date has been determined,” the agency said in a statement on Monday.
The top-secret inquiry into the 2016 pay-and-conditions negotiations between Labor and the United Firefighters Union was launched in 2019. Mr Andrews is also believed to have been grilled in secret as part of this inquiry.
Witnesses were questioned by IBAC about the role of Mr Andrews in the enterprise bargaining agreement talks with UFU state secretary Peter Marshall.
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