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.
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.Another federal police source, also speaking anonymously to discuss confidential information, said the National Anti-Corruption Commission had been called in by the AFP as an investigation partner.
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. Contracting within the highly lucrative and secretive defence and national security 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.