Australia’s anti-corruption commission has confirmed that police officers assigned to work with the Commission conducted a raid at the Federal Parliament in Canberra on Oct. 4.
However, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) declined to reveal the target or purpose of the operation, clarifying only that it did not involve “a current or former parliamentarian.”
To conduct the raid, the NACC would have required the consent of Federal Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, as the law requires the Commission to obtain a warrant to enter Parliament House and its surrounding precincts, including parliamentary offices. A spokesperson for the attorney general could not confirm whether a warrant had been issued.
The Commission explained that the raid was part of an “ongoing investigation” and that it would “not be making further comment, as to do so may compromise operational activities or unfairly impact reputations.”
The NACC was established last year to investigate serious or systemic corruption in the public sector. It has wide-ranging powers to examine the conduct of public servants, Commonwealth contractors, parliamentarians their staff, and police.
Although the recent raid did not target an elected official, this does not rule out ongoing investigations into parliamentarians.
Last month, the Commission’s latest operational update revealed it was investigating the behaviour of six current or former politicians, and another three inovlving past or present parliamentary staff.
People linked to Federal Parliament represent around a third of the NACC’s total caseload. The Commission is currently handling 29 corruption allegations, seven of which involve collaboration with other agencies.
It also has 32 preliminary investigations ongoing and is overseeing 18 investigations by other agencies. Another six matters were before the courts, and 471 referrals are pending assessment.
Over the past year, the NACC has been referred multiple high-profile cases.
These include a referral of former Liberal minister Stuart Robert over his connections to consulting firm Synergy 360, and a raid in June at the home of former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann, related to leaks concerning the failed French submarine deal, later replaced by AUKUS.
The NACC is also considering whether to investigate a complaint from former Liberal minister Linda Reynolds against Attorney-General Dreyfus, over his handling of the $2.3 million compensation payout to Brittany Higgins.
In June, the NACC decided not to pursue six senior public officials referred by the Royal Commission into the Robodebt scheme, concluding that it was unlikely to uncover “significant new evidence.”
