First time an individual has been charged with inciting the obstruction of a Commonwealth official in relation to an ACCC investigation.
The Commonwealth Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has, for the first time, charged an individual with inciting the obstruction of a Commonwealth official in relation to an ACCC investigation, in what is the first of its kind. The charges laid against Mr Ellis (former Manager of BlueScope) by the Commonwealth DPP are offences under the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) that carry a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment per offence. Should the matter proceed to sentence, the sentencing regime attached to Commonwealth offences differs significantly to the regime attached to Queensland based offences. It will be interesting to see how this matter develops over the coming months.
Our criminal lawyers in Brisbane and Toowoomba are experts in defending criminal charges, whether they be Commonwealth offences or state based offences. In the instance you or those close to you require legal assistance in relation to crime and misconduct matters, do not hesitate to contact our crime and misconduct team leader, Trent Jones, on (07) 3009 6555.