Corruption watchdog abandons Bruce Lehrmann submarine secrets probe
Ex-political staffer Bruce Lehrmann was under investigation for allegedly using secrets about French submarines for his own ends.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has terminated its investigation into former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann, who faced accusations of stealing classified documents from his former boss's office. Lehrmann, 31, had sued the Special Minister of State and the then-head of the NACC, alleging abuse of power. However, on Monday, the NACC informed Lehrmann that it had abandoned the probe.
This ends a series of events that began with officials raiding Lehrmann's home in June 2024, during an operation called Ivanhoe. The search resulted in the seizure of items, including a diary allegedly containing eight pages of classified information. The former commissioner stopped the investigation, stating that the NACC letter ended Operation Ivanhoe.
Lehrmann then sued Special Minister of State Don Farrell and the NACC commissioner Paul Brereton, claiming the raids were an abuse of power and that he was unlawfully forced to provide evidence at secret hearings. The NACC investigation has been criticized as a waste of taxpayer money by Lehrmann, who maintains that he was wrongly labeled a spy and traitor for allegedly selling defense secrets to foreign countries.
The sexual assault allegations against Lehrmann, which the Federal Court found to be credible, remain untested in a criminal court. Lehrmann continues to be involved in another anti-corruption investigation, Operation Greenough, which concerns potential misuse of information during the probe into the alleged sexual assault.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
