Search
This area does not yet contain any content.
Justinian News

Balkan intrigues ... Old coppers stagger into the Croatian Six inquiry ... 15-year jail terms in 1980 for alleged terrorism ... Miscarriage of justice under review ... Verballing ... Loading-up ... Old fashioned detective "work" ... Evidence so far ... Hamish McDonald reports ... Read more >> 

Politics Media Law Society


Splitting heirs ... How to get rid of the Royals – a Republican tours Orstraya … Underneath their robes – sexual harassment on the bench … Credit card fees – so tricky that only economists know what to do … Muted response to Drumgold vindication … Vale Percy Allan ... Read on ... 

Free Newsletter
Justinian Columnists

Blue sky litigation ... Another costly Lehrmann decision ... One more spin on the never-never ... Arguable appeal discovered in the bowels of the Gazette of Law & Journalism ... Odious litigants ... Could Lee J have got it wrong on the meaning of rape? ... Calpurnia reports from the Defamatorium ... Read more >> 

Blow the whistle

 

News snips ...


This area does not yet contain any content.
Justinian's Bloggers

Online incitements ... Riots in English cities fed by online misinformation about refugees ... Policing and prosecution policies ... Fast and furious processing of offenders ... Online Safety Act grapples with new challenges ... Increased policing of speech on tech platforms ... Hugh Vuillier reports from London ... Read more >> 

"Mistakes of law or fact are a professional inevitability for judges, tribunal members and administrative decision makers."  

Paul Brereton, Commissioner of the National Corruption Concealment Commission, downplaying the Inspector's finding of bias and procedural unfairness with his conflicted involvement in the decision making about Robodebt referrals ... Read more flatulence ... 


Justinian Featurettes

Vale Percy Allan AM ... Obit for friend and fellow-traveller ... Prolific writer on economics and politics ... Public finance guru ... Technocrat with humanity and broad interests ... Theatre ... Animals ... Art ... Read more ... 


Justinian's archive

A triumph for Victorian morality ... Ashton v Pratt ... In the sack with Dick Pratt ... Meretricious sexual services renders contract void on public policy grounds ... Justice Paul Brereton applies curious moral standard ... A whiff of hypocrisy ... Doubtful finding ... Artemus Jones reporting ... From Justinian's Archive, January 24, 2012 ... Who knew the NACC commissioner had strong views on the sanctity of marriage ... Read more ... 


 

 

« What's the world coming to? | Main | Adventures at conventionville »
Friday
Dec192014

Sincere thanks for the rude letter

Correspondence from lofty places ... Margaret Cunneen replies to critic who accused her of derailing ICAC's important work ... Is it all the fault of her long-estranged sister? ... Unexpected love and support ... Mystery deepens 

Dear Sophia: chest pains

IT'S nice that crown prosecutor Margaret Cunneen has kept her wicked since of humour, despite the unresolved ICAC investigation dangling over her head. 

One concerned citizen (who wishes to remain anon) this month wrote to Cunneen following the NSW Court of Appeal majority decision in Cunneen v ICAC, criticising her for challenging the corruption watchdog's powers. 

He told her that while she may have won in the CA, "you have lost heavily in the court of public opinion".

"It is deplorable that your actions have now impacted on the ICAC's function in relation to other investigations ... One has to question your reluctance to face the process of ICAC." 

He was startled to receive a reply from the stood-aside prosecutor and member of the Bar Association council: 

"Thanks so much for your love and support which I appreciate so much.

It is indeed amazing that these people don't realise that my dear Sophia doesn't drink (her blood test was 0.00) and the crash was so bad that the car was written off. Isn't it good that all the independent bystanders said I did absolutely nothing wrong? 

What a malevent [sic] person my long-estranged sister is to take the bare bones of the terrible crash that my father told her about and do this to me.

I know you wish for justice and I thank you for that. 

I would've so glad [sic] to do all I can to advance your professional interests and I do thank you so much for your unexpected love and support. 

Sincere thanks,

Margaret" 

The "dear Sophia" to which she refers is Sophia Tilley, her son's partner who crashed Cunneen's car. The prosecutor is alleged by ICAC to have perverted the course of justice by advising the young nymph to fake chest pains in order to avoid a police test for her alcohol level. 

Was Cunneen being ironic, had she had too many celebratory tinctures following her win in the Court of Appeal, or had she muddled her correspondence? 

Importantly, it seems doubtful that the proposed ICAC inquiry is based solely to the word of her sister. There must be something else. Could phone taps from PIC during the Steve Fletcher investigation also have played a part?

Whatever. It's comforting to know that she pledges to "advance [the] professional interests" of a complete stranger. 

See: Corruption busting 

Reader Comments (1)

Strange how five businessmen named as corrupt are planning to use this case in their various appeals in the Supreme Court. Very convenient also for the Liberal Party of Australia, of whom numerous NSW members have been found corrupt, now have to wait, perhaps forever, for the ICAC report into their behavior. I have no doubt there are MANY people in NSW who would be most happy to see a "Lame duck" ICAC.
December 19, 2014 | Registered CommenterVictor Pigott
Editor Permission Required
You must have editing permission for this entry in order to post comments.