Internal probe as senior public servant’s suspension details remain under wraps

In the wake of the state’s DNA debacle, it has emerged the head of a separate Queensland forensic lab has been suspended on full pay, with the Health Minister unable to say why.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls. Picture: Richard Walker

Queensland’s embattled forensic services are again in the spotlight, with the unexplained suspension of another senior public servant.

Clinical Forensic Medical Unit director Adam Griffin has been suspended on full pay for the past 18 months.

The Courier-Mail can also reveal an internal investigation is under way.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls confirmed he was aware of the investigation, but said he was unable to outline the reasons for the probe and the lengthy suspension due to industrial relations processes. The director’s suspension would have cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars to date.

The CFMU is a separate unit to the forensic and scientific services unit ­involved in the catastrophic DNA testing debacle, and there is no suggestion that the suspension is related to that matter.

In 2022, the commission of inquiry into forensic DNA testing in Queensland ­revealed massive failings in the state’s DNA testing program, with more than 100,000 DNA crime scene samples tested using a flawed process.

Forensic Science Queensland was ordered to re-test samples from more than 41,000 rape and murder cases and the government is still working through the backlog.

The doctors at the Clinical Forensic Medical Unit are involved in the collection of specimens for forensic examinations.

As an expert in his field, Dr Griffin advises juries and the coroner on the intricate details of forensic findings.

The CFMU, the old Government Medical Office, is situated in Herschel St in Brisbane.

“I’ve inquired as to how quickly this (matter) can be moved through, that it’s not just languishing somewhere, and I’m assured that it is ­receiving quite a lot of attention,” Mr Nicholls said.

A source told The Courier-Mail staff at the unit ­remained in the dark as to the reason for their boss’s suspension and the investigation.

Dr Griffin is a highly experienced and credentialed forensic expert. He received a medical ­degree from the University of Queensland and a masters in forensic medicine from ­Monash University in ­Melbourne.

He is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Legal Medicine, a foundation member of the Australasian Association of Forensic Physicians, and a member of the Forensic and Clinical Toxicology ­Association.

Dr Griffin was approached for comment.

Last month it was ­announced millions of dollars would be spent on fixing the DNA lab crisis.

The $21m boost will allow frontline staff to be hired as well as a new judge added in Townsville under an LNP plan to boost Queensland’s justice system and to clear the retesting backlog that resulted from the commission of inquiry.

Originally published as Internal probe as senior public servant’s suspension details remain under wraps