Former ACT chief prosecutor Shane Drumgold has been accused of mishandling bills and breaking division coverage by hiding receipts to assert alcohol and charging taxpayers $5000 for international roaming prices.
Seven pages of allegations, made by Shane Drumgold’s former workplace supervisor Mercy Wilkie, have been lodged with the territory’s Integrity Fee earlier this 12 months.
As first reported by The Australian, Ms Wilkie – who had labored on the Division of Public Prosecutions for 15 years when she put in her criticism – mentioned she had a superb relationship along with her bosses however had long-running issues about Mr Drumgold’s conduct.
She mentioned these issues have been heightened in the course of the inquiry into his dealing with of the prosecution of former Liberal staffer Brace Lehrmann.
Mr Drumgold resigned from his place as director of public prosecutions final month after a scathing report by Walter Sofronoff KC accused the previous prime barrister of misconduct and knowingly mendacity to the chief justice in the course of the trial.
Ms Wilkie raised 21 causes for concern about Mr Drumgold to the integrity watchdog. A spokesperson for the Integrity Commissioner confirmed that Ms Wilkie’s allegations have been now being assessed.
There isn’t a suggestion that Mr Drumgold dedicated any wrongdoing, solely that Ms Wilkie made allegations to the corruption watchdog that she believes warrant investigation.
Ms Wilkie despatched the claims in March this 12 months, across the identical time that her companion – builder Matthew Thompson – grew to become locked in a bitter dispute with Mr Drumgold over pay for work on the then DPP’s vacation properties.
Chief amongst Ms Wilkie’s issues was that Mr Drumgold “had a follow of acquiring reimbursement for bills incurred by him with out offering receipts” and had tried to assert alcohol.
She mentioned she had “repeatedly” informed Mr Drumgold phrases to the impact of: “Shane, we can not reimburse alcohol funds and a few bills, I have to see them. Statutory declarations, now and again, are effective, but it surely can’t be the follow. We want full transparency. It’s taxpayers {dollars}, keep in mind?”
She mentioned regardless of having had conversations with him about offering receipts, statutory declarations remained Mr Drumgold’s follow.
After a convention in Auckland in July final 12 months, Ms Wilkie mentioned Mr Drumgold supplied a statutory declaration in lieu of receipts that had “involved” her “as a result of I had seen {a photograph} of a glass of gin on his social media at a time which broadly corresponded to bills he‘d had incurred and claimed”.
“I imagine Mr Drumgold accomplished the statutory declaration, moderately than offering receipts, to cover the acquisition of alcohol and/or different gadgets, which mustn’t correctly be reimbursed to him,” she wrote.
Ms Wilkie mentioned these issues prolonged past alcohol and supplied an instance of Mr Drumgold accruing a world roaming expense that had not been pre-approved.
Mr Drumgold, when travelling to that convention, was informed that he had a $350 per 30 days worldwide roaming expense and informed Ms Wilkie he wished to make use of his cellphone and laptop computer abroad.
“When Mr Drumgold returned from Auckland, the DPP acquired an bill for round $5000 from Telstra, and this associated to his iPad,” Ms Wilkie wrote in her submission.
“I drew this bill to Mr Drumgold’s consideration, reminded him of our dialogue about worldwide roaming and suggested that he would wish to pay the bill. Mr Drumgold mentioned the iPad was work associated, and the DPP would pay for it. The DPP paid for that bill, in opposition to commonplace follow.”
Ms Wilkie additionally claimed Mr Drumgold directed an worker to purchase a airplane ticket for his spouse, on a authorities account.
“Mr Drumgold suggested that he would put (his spouse’s) ticket on his frequent flyer factors. A number of days later, Mr Drumgold suggested company that Qantas had put the frequent flyer ticket supposed for (his spouse) in his title and wouldn’t change it,” she wrote.
“He then directed (an worker) from company to e-book (his spouse’s) ticket underneath the federal government account. When (the worker) tried to do that, she was questioned by Qantas about it, however finally (the DPP) bought the ticket.”
Ms Wilkie additionally claimed Mr Drumgold allowed his daughter – a junior worker on the DPP – to make use of his official carpark spot.
Ms Wilkie mentioned she was conscious that “regardless of taking depart repeatedly all year long, Mr Drumgold’s annual depart is simply lowered in the course of the Christmas closure. Even then his annual depart accrual just isn’t considerably lowered”.
Ms Wilkie additional claimed her boss was assembly her companion, Mr Thomas, to debate plans for Mr Drumgold’s vacation properties throughout work hours.
She mentioned she thought these work-hour conferences have been inappropriate however “felt conflicted about this as a result of Matt wanted the enterprise, however Mr Drumgold mustn’t have been paid by the Territory for attending a personal assembly throughout work hours”.
Mr Drumgold and his lawyers have been contacted for remark.
