Independent Commissioner Against Corruption

An Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) was established in South Australia in 2013 and Bruce Lander was appointed to the role.[1]

History

In April 2014 it was reported that ICAC had received 752 complaints during its first eight months of operation. 43 claims of possible corruption were being investigated at this time.[2]

In October 2014 it was reported that ICAC had opened 70 investigations during its first 12 months. As a result of a joint investigation with the South Australian Police into Operation Mantle, charges of theft and abuse of public office were laid against six police officers.[3]

In February 2015, Bruce Lander announced that ICAC was investigating potential maladministration related to the sale of public land at Gillman, South Australia.[4]

In April 2015 the Commissioner announced that prosecutions were pending following several investigations. An employee of the public sector, a 47-year-old woman from Redwood Park, was arrested and charged with abuse of public office, 233 counts of theft and 114 counts of dishonest dealing with documents. A 61-year-old Henley Beach man, previously employed in the public sector was charged with six counts of abuse of public office between February and July 2013. His alleged offences related to the improper use of information for personal gain.[5]

In August 2015 and unnamed Chief Executive from a South Australian government agency was charged with two counts of abuse of public office. Attorney-General John Rau told the media that "the commissioner has made it clear on many occasions that he has not encountered in his investigations any evidence of systemic or institutional corruption in South Australia."[6] In October 2015, it was revealed to be BioSA chief executive, Dr Jurgen Michaelis.[7] In April 2016 it was announced that he would face corruption charges. It was alleged that he “improperly exercised a power or influence” on two occasions in 2012 while working on the development of the biotechnology sector within South Australia. No proof or charges had been made public at that time. In December 2016, Dr Michaelis pleaded "not guilty" to the charges.[8]

In November 2015, the Commissioner sought State Government support to permit public hearings on cases of alleged maladministration. He also described his relationship with the SA Police Ombudsman as fractured, but improving.[9]

In April 2016, ICAC investigations resulted in the charging of five men from the Department of Transport engaged in the misappropriation of goods purchased with government credit cards. The prosecutor later dropped charges against two of the accused.[10]

In August 2017, Liberal MP Troy Bell resigned after it was publicly announced that he would face 26 charges following an ICAC investigation. Bell resigned from the Liberal party but has claimed innocence and expressed his intention to fight the charges in court. The charges include twenty of theft amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars and six of dishonest dealing in documents.[11]

Legislation and regulation

ICAC was established under the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Act 2012. Its regulation is detailed in the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Regulations 2013, and South Australia's Attorney-General is the responsible Minister.[12]

Reporting

Arrests or prosecutions made by the South Australian Police (SAPOL) resulting from matters referred to SAPOL by ICAC under the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Act 2012 are reported in Annual Reports.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Lander to head ICAC in SA". ABC News. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  2. ↑ Wills, Daniel (2014-04-23). "South Australian ICAC has received 752 complaints since it was established eight months ago". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
  3. ↑ "More than 70 corruption investigations in first year of ICAC in South Australia". ABC. 2014-10-14. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
  4. ↑ Lander, Bruce (2015-01-22). "PUBLIC STATEMENT BY THE HON. BRUCE LANDER QC INDEPENDENT COMMISSIONER AGAINST CORRUPTION" (PDF). ICAC-OPI. ICAC-OPI. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
  5. 1 2 Lander, Bruce (2015-04-16). "PUBLIC STATEMENT BY THE HON. BRUCE LANDER QC - INDEPENDENT COMMISSIONER AGAINST CORRUPTION" (PDF). Independent Commissioner Against Corruption South Australia. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
  6. ↑ "Senior SA bureaucrat charged with abuse of public office". ABC News. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  7. ↑ "BioSA boss faces corruption charges". Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  8. ↑ Hough, Andrew (2016-12-19). "State Government's biotechnology agency boss formally pleads not guilty to corruption charges". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  9. ↑ "ICAC says fractured relationship with SA Police Ombudsman 'improving'". ABC News. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  10. ↑ Hunt, Nigel (2016-04-02). "Five Transport Department officers face charges over credit card misuse". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  11. ↑ "Liberal MP facing charges after ICAC sting". ABC News. 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  12. ↑ "Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Act 2012". www.legislation.sa.gov.au. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
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