Document

Extract from ICAC report re John Kite - 19 September 2001

[ICAC Report wrote:]

This ICAC report relates to the Commission’s investigation of matters arising from a memorandum that Mr John Kite, a former employee of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), claimed to have discovered on his NPWS personal file in the presence of a NPWS employee, Ms Susanne Ryan.
The allegations in the memorandum were serious and, if true, evidenced corrupt and criminal conduct by middle to senior staff of the NPWS. It also contained an inference that if Mr Kite reported certain matters to this Commission then a Commission officer was prepared to act inappropriately at the request of NPWS officers.

As well as investigating the truth of the allegations contained in the memorandum the Commission used a number of investigative techniques, including computer forensics to determine the authenticity of the memorandum. Assistant Commissioner Cripps QC concluded that the memorandum was a fake and had been prepared by Mr John Kite. He also found that the allegations contained in the memorandum were unfounded.

The Hon John Slattery AO QC was engaged by the Commission to undertake an independent oversight and audit of the Commission’s conduct of those aspects of the investigation not involving the conduct of the hearings and to review the Commission’s handling of a complaint made by Mr Kite to it in 1998. A copy of Mr Slattery QC’s report is published as Appendix 3 to this report.

Conduct

Corrupt conduct, false evidence, attempt to pervert the course of justice, perjury, misuse of information

Findings

Findings of corrupt conduct have been made against Mr Kite and Ms Ryan. The Assistant Commissioner has also expressed his opinion that consideration should be given to the prosecution of each of them for specified criminal offences and, in the case of Ms Ryan, the taking of disciplinary action.