Icac Reports Bumper Year For Investigations And Corruption Prevention

ICAC reports bumper year for investigations and corruption prevention

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has almost doubled the number of investigation reports it published in 2008-09 on the previous year, made corrupt conduct findings against 52 people and increased the number of corruption prevention recommendations to 84 in 2008-09 from 57 in 2007- 08.

In its 2008-2009 Annual Report, furnished to Parliament today, the Commission also reported that it recommended seeking the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) with respect to the prosecution of 51 people, which is a 122% increase on the previous year. The number of people prosecuted due to action arising from ICAC investigations more than tripled from six in the previous year to 21.

The Commission has again reduced the average time taken to report matters to its Assessment Panel, achieving a 21% improvement despite a slight increase in the number of matters received (up from 2,702 in 2007-2008 to 2,714 in 2008-2009). The ICAC also had a very active year in terms of corruption prevention, delivering presentations and seminars to more than 1,100 local government personnel on corruption risks in planning and development processes during the year, following its investigation into corrupt conduct at Wollongong City Council.

"The 2008-2009 year has seen the ICAC continue to fight and prevent corruption in the NSW public sector, in an era when community expectations of how governments and their bureaucracies operate mean that the work of the Commission is as important as ever," the ICAC Commissioner, the Hon Jerrold Cripps QC said. "The Commission has not only produced excellent work in terms of its investigation and corruption prevention functions during the year, but it also released the results of a major research project that showed a significant increase in the adoption of corruption prevention methods across the public sector since 2001."

Major Commission highlights and achievements from 2008-2009 include:
* recommending the advice of the DPP be sought with respect to the prosecution of 51 people, whicis a 122% increase on the 23 people from the previous year
* delivering targeted, face-to-face corruption prevention sessions to more than 1,100 councillors, council managers, planners and other key personnel on corruption risks associated with planning and development processes

* making corrupt conduct findings against 52 people

* furnishing 13 investigation reports to Parliament, compared to seven in 2007-2008

* making 84 corruption prevention recommendations arising from public inquiries, including 40 recommendations in a major corruption prevention report on RailCorp, compared to 57 the previous year

* delivering 87 training sessions, which is more than double the targeted number of 40

* helping facilitate asset restraint forfeiture to a total of $2,634,000 through four pending matters sent to the NSW Crime Commission.

During 2008-2009, the Commission conducted seven public inquiries over 28 days. The ICAC also conducted two regional and rural outreach visits to Greater Western Sydney and the South Coast, at which more than 470 people participated in training, workshops and other events. The full report can be downloaded from the ICAC website, www.icac.nsw.gov.au.

Contact: ICAC's Manager Communications & Media, Nicole Thomas, (02) 8281 5799 / (0417) 467 801


The ICAC was established to investigate, expose and minimise corruption in the NSW public sector which includes government departments, statutory authorities, local councils and public officials such as politicians and the judiciary.


For more information visit the ICAC website www.icac.nsw.gov.au

SOURCE: ICAC