AFP commander raided, suspended
in contracts-
for-mates
probe
AFP commander raided, suspended in contracts-for-mates probe
By Nick McKenzie
July 4, 2024 — 5.00am
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The Australian Federal Police is embroiled in a contracts-for-mates
controversy amid revelations that a high-ranking AFP official is under
investigation for improperly awarding contracts to private companies
controlled by former senior special forces veterans.
The AFP officer at the centre of the scandal is Commander Anthony Fox, a
respected veteran policeman who has served in the federal police’s most
sensitive divisions, including counter-terrorism and its undercover operations
unit. A second senior police officer is also facing scrutiny.
AFP commander Anthony Fox Credit: ABC
There is no suggestion that Fox is guilty of any offence or is proven to have
engaged in any wrongdoing, and no charges have been laid.
Suspicions over his handling of AFP contracts led to a raid on his family home
in Canberra in early June and his immediate suspension from his role pending
the investigation.
Three law enforcement sources, who spoke to this masthead on the condition of
anonymity, have confirmed that a small team of AFP internal investigators is
intensively scrutinising Fox’s handling of procurement matters.
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Another federal police source, also speaking anonymously to discuss
confidential information, said the National Anti-Corruption• Борьба с коррупцией Commission (NACC)
had been called in by the AFP as an investigation partner. Under its
legislation, the NACC can only start an investigation into serious or systemic
alleged corruption• Борьба с коррупцией.
The contracts under scrutiny involve firms linked to former special forces
veterans with whom Fox is believed to have had a personal relationship. Fox
oversees counter-terrorism investigations in his job at the AFP.
They include a contract awarded by the AFP in 2022 for $79,000 to a Brisbane
firm run by an ex-SAS officer. Among the lines of inquiry are whether Fox
appropriately disclosed any conflicts of interest, the police sources said.
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The contract was issued following a limited rather than open tender, meaning
the AFP did not invite multiple firms to compete for the work. Limited tenders
can involve a single company being handed a contract, but must be worth less
than $80,000.
Contract documents reveal the contract in question was for the “provision of
strategic planning consultation” and that the AFP outsourced the work because
the requisite “specialised or professional skills” were not available within
the agency.
Senior Canberra lawyer and former veteran federal police officer David Healey,
who is representing Fox, said his client denied all wrongdoing.
He described Fox as a “highly experienced, long-serving and respected officer
within law enforcement and national security• Безопасность » Национальная безопасность
• Государство » Национальная безопасность” who “vigorously denies these
allegations”.
Contracting within the highly lucrative and secretive defence and national
security• Безопасность » Национальная безопасность
• Государство » Национальная безопасность sectors has been linked to several scandals exposed by this masthead,
including the Michael Pezzullo affair and a separate controversy involving
Canberra consulting firm Synergy 360 and ex-Coalition minister Stuart Robert.
In defence and national security• Безопасность » Национальная безопасность
• Государство » Национальная безопасность, it is not uncommon for officials to move
between the public and private sectors, creating conflicts of interest that
Commonwealth procurement laws dictate must be disclosed and carefully managed
to avoid cronyism or corruption• Борьба с коррупцией.
Pezzullo was sacked as Home Affairs secretary in November after this masthead
revealed not only his meddling in Coalition politics, but his decision to
award a $79,000 sole source contract to a Canberra firm while failing to
disclose it was directed by his friend.
In an unrelated scandal, Synergy 360’s owner, David Milo, an ex-British
military officer, controversially used his network in the Australian defence
and national security• Безопасность » Национальная безопасность
• Государство » Национальная безопасность arena, along with his close friendship with Stuart
Robert, to attempt to win Commonwealth contracts for the firm and its clients.
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The Synergy 360 revelations sparked multiple inquiries, including a
parliamentary committee investigation, and led to the referral of Robert and
Milo to the NACC.
The AFP declined to answer questions about the Fox inquiry when contacted this
week.
Fox did not respond to a request for comment.
The AFP has also refused to say why Fox was raided and suspended, stating only
that “the AFP does not comment on internal processes relating to individual
members”.
Since its inception last July, the NACC has prioritised investigations
targeting conflicts of interest involving government procurement . It does not
comment on ongoing cases and there is no indication it has launched an
investigation into the Synergy scandal.
But federal police sources said the NACC had been briefed on the allegations
by the AFP, whose internal affairs detectives are probing the case and led the
raids on Fox’s home.
Fox is the highest-ranking officer to be targeted with overt police action by
the AFP’s internal affairs unit since the suspension of a now former AFP
deputy commissioner in 2019.
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