The National Anti-Corruption Commission will be tasked with investigating former Queensland MP Stuart Robert’s links to consulting firm Synergy 360.
The referral comes from parliament’s Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit who had been probing the matter, and is the first of its kind since the NACC opened in July.
In an interim report on Wednesday, the committee warned it lacked the sufficient powers to investigate the “serious and systemic” allegations leveraged against the former Fadden MP, who quit parliament in May.
The NACC will consider whether to conduct a “fuller investigation to establish the substance of the serious allegations” made in relation to Mr Robert and Synergy 360.
At the heart of the case is the allegation that Mr Robert had used his position as services minister in the former Coalition government to assist the firm in securing meetings with government stakeholders and land lucrative contracts.
It’s been alleged Synergy 360 proposed a structure that would ensure Mr Robert benefited financially from contracts awarded to the firm – an allegation Mr Robert has denied.
In a statement, committee chair Julian Hill said the group had no choice but to pass the matter over to the NACC.
“A referral to the NACC by a parliamentary committee should never be made lightly, and certainly is not done so here,” Mr Hill said.
“The committee has established a number of matters but is unable, given its resources, lack of forensic accounting expertise, and the refusal so far of key witnesses to provide documents or fully answer questions, to make clear findings as to the truth
“An agency with compulsory questioning, document gathering, and investigatory powers may be able to properly assess these matters.”
The committee said that in making the recommendation, it was not “making any findings in relation to the conduct of any individuals”.
In March, a review found the government spent $374m on contracts deemed to be poor value for money, sparking an audit inquiry.
Mr Hill said the inquiry had revealed “previously undisclosed meetings … between (Mr) Robert, Synergy 360 and Infosys, inducing during a tender process and when Infosys was being performance managed by Services Australia”.
More to come.