Article extracted from The Australian, Damon Johnston 26 March 2022.
A Melbourne developer accused of engaging in corrupt property deals with a local council has launched Supreme Court action to block the state’s anti-corruption agency from releasing a report into the affair.
Developer John Woodman’s lawyers have announced legal action is underway against the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission in a high-stakes bid to prevent the tabling of its report in parliament.
Law firm Duxton Hill said it was seeking urgent injunctions against IBAC on behalf of Mr Woodman, who was one of the central figures in the agency’s investigation into allegedly corrupt land deals involving Casey councilors.
IBAC’s conduct in Operation Sandon, which has run for more than two years, has been criticised by multiple witnesses after the suicide of former Casey mayor Amanda Stapledon just days after she received the agency’s draft report in January.
In a statement released to The Weekend Australian, Mr Woodman paid tribute to Stapledon.
“Amanda was a very good friend, and I am extremely distressed about what’s happened to her,” he said.
Stapledon, who was accused of pocketing about $25,000 in undeclared political donations from Mr Woodman, took her life on January 17-18, just three days after receiving IBAC’s draft report.
Stapledon’s former council colleagues and friends have blamed IBAC for her death, claiming the agency has “blood on its hands” over its conduct.
Among the most serious criticisms of IBAC and the Victorian Inspectorate – the agency that monitors the anti-corruption watchdog – is that both failed to act despite several warnings that witnesses were suicidal over the marathon probe.
The inspectorate took seven months to respond to one complaint, and witnesses believe the watchdog has only treated their concerns seriously since Stapledon’s death.
The suicide of Stapledon, 58, has triggered the state parliament’s integrity and oversight committee to launch an inquiry into the witness welfare policies of IBAC and the inspectorate.
In a statement released on Friday, Duxton Hill, said: “The Supreme Court proceeding claims IBAC has denied Mr Woodman procedural fairness and breached its statutory obligations to provide Mr Woodman with a reasonable opportunity to respond to adverse material concerning him.
“Mr Woodman seeks injunctions to prevent IBAC transmitting its report into Operation Sandon to the Victorian parliament until IBAC complies with its statutory obligations and requirements of procedural fairness.
“The proceeding by Mr Woodman follows the recent suicide of former City of Casey mayor and councilor Amanda Stapledon, who was also a central figure in IBAC’s investigation.”
IBAC said on Friday that as legal action was underway, it was not in a position to comment.
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