Retired Queensland judge Walter Sofronoff will be appointed by the ACT government to lead the inquiry into the trial of Bruce Lehrmann.
The inquiry will look into whether police officers involved in the case “failed to act in accordance with their duties”.
The terms of reference for the inquiry include whether the director of public prosecutions or the victims of crimes commissioner also failed to act in accordance with their own duties.
Additionally, the inquiry will examine how the ACT director of public prosecution’s letter to ACT Policing chief of police was publicly released.
Both private and public hearings may be held during the inquiry.
Chief minister Andrew Barr said the allegations and complaints about the ACT legal system were “serious”.
“Mr Sofronoff is a highly regarded legal expert with experience leading sensitive inquiries throughout his career,” Barr said in a statement.
“He was also Queensland’s solicitor-general for almost 10 years. I am confident that Mr Sofronoff will deliver a thorough and respectful independent inquiry”
Lehrmann was accused by Brittany Higgins, a fellow Liberal staffer, of sexual assault in Parliament House. Lehrmann has denied the alleged sexual assault occurred.
The jury for the high-profile case was dismissed in October 2022, after a jury member conducted their own research into the case.
A retrial for the case was then dropped in December.
ACT director of public prosecutions (DPP) Shane Drumgold said the retrial would pose an “unacceptable risk to the life of the complainant”.
Allegations have been reported in the media that the police were pressuring the DPP to drop the case.
Per Guardian Australia, Drumgold said there was “inappropriate interference” by police in the matter, in favour of the defence.
“I am of the view that at the conclusion of the trial, there should be a public enquiry into both political and police conduct in this matter,” Drumgold wrote in a letter to the ACT police chief.
At the time it was reported, a spokesperson for ACT Policing told the Guardian the agency would “continue to work cooperatively with the Office of DPP to ensure the safety and security of the Canberra community”.
The person now announced as leading the inquiry, Sofronoff, retired as a Queensland judge early last year.
When announcing Sofronoff’s retirement, Queensland attorney-general Shannon Fentiman described the judge as “a brilliant legal mind and a person of exceptional character and integrity”.
Since then, Sofronoff had been appointed as the co-chair of Forensic Services Queensland’s interim advisory board. He also led the inquiry into forensic DNA testing in Queensland.
The board of inquiry is due to report to Barr by 30 June 2023.
