The Batchelor Institute will be looking for its ninth chief executive officer since August 2017, after the sudden and unexplained departure of Leon Yeatman on Wednesday, less than five months into the job, with the institute’s council chair Pat Anderson confirming the end of his tenure to the NT Independent.

Four independent sources had told the NT Independent of Mr Yeatman’s departure after a meeting with Ms Anderson – who is also the Uluru Statement from the Heart co-chair – and deputy chairman Russell Taylor on Wednesday morning. He then left Batchelor.

It is said that Ms Anderson then addressed staff for about three minutes following his departure, and three sources said Mr Yeatman had been sacked but he could not be contacted to confirm.

Multiple sources also said the chief financial officer Sophie El Mouttie had recently left her job after 45 days. She was listed in that position in a Batchelor Institute job advertisement on November 18 but her work phone extension rang out on Thursday.

The troubled organisation was the subject of an Office of the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption “review” of its practices, policies and procedures. Commissioner Michael Riches said in his annual report released in October, that he had made 27 recommendations about Batchelor, all of which had been adopted.

In a statement to the NT Independent, Ms Anderson said Mr Yeatman had resigned but gave no reason why, and said deputy chief executive officer, David Cusack would temporarily fill the role.

“We expect a smooth transition process with minimal impact on the Institute’s day-to-day operations and look forward to welcoming a new CEO in 2023,” she said.

She said Mr Cusack had been appointed as student experience director in the previous 12 months, then was recently appointed to the role of deputy CEO.

Mr Yeatman, who did not return a phone call, was formerly chief executive of Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council in north Queensland, but had no training or higher education work experience, and was coming into a deeply troubled organisation.

Ms Anderson did not answer the NT Independent’s question of why he was appointed with no direct industry experience, but actually highlighted his lack of experience in announcing his appointment, saying in a media release at the time that it was a “watershed” moment for the Institute.

“Our vocational, higher education and graduate teaching staff are leaders in their field, so we acknowledged that we didn’t necessarily need to appoint an academic or expert in the field of education, we need a person with expertise and a commitment to best practice governance principles and compliance – a leader who allows our staff to get on with what they do best,” she said.

Ms Anderson did not answer questions about the departure of Ms El Mouttie, and the NT Independent was unable to contact Ms El Mouttie.

The NT Independent also asked Ms Anderson whether she would consider resigning herself as she has lead the council – which has the same function as a board – during a time when the organisation was the subject of an ICAC investigation – which remains unreleased with no explanation – then a review, through five full-time or temporary CEOs, as well as other senior staff exiting, and while the Institute has continued to lose money.

She did not respond.

The 2020 annual report showed a loss of about $214,000 from an income of $31.4 million. The latest annual report has not been published on the Batchelor website.

Ms Anderson has been the council chair since February 2019 – earning between between $30,000 and and $44,999 in 2020 – and was in charge when former CEO Professor Steve Larkin suddenly went on unexplained leave in November 2020, before Ms Anderson announced his “resignation” in August 2021.

The NT Independent understands Prof Larkin was originally contracted in 2018 for five years until March 2023, and employed on a $375,000-a-year package. However the 2019 annual report showed he was paid more than $430,000 a year.

The Institute’s 2019 annual report shows that year under Pro Larkin’s control it lost $2.7 million from an income of $36.9 million.

A whistleblower, with deep knowledge of Batchelor had said a further increase in his remuneration would have been approved by Ms Anderson, who is still in that role.

The 2019 report also revealed Prof Larkin had employed his partner as a senior project officer, and another relative in an executive role. At the time Prof Larkin did not respond to questions about the appointments.

Prof Larkin was installed as chief executive officer in March 2018, following on from two interim CEOs, after the resignation of Professor Robert Somerville in August, 2017. The training college had lost $6.9 million in 2016 and there was a call by some staff for Prof Somerville’s resignation along with the entire board.

When Prof Larkin went on his unexplained leave, the Institute installed management consultant Jessie Borthwick temporarily in the role, from November 23 2020, until February 5, 2021.

He had replaced Professor Gareth Allison whose Linkedin profile stated he was the acting chief executive officer from February 2021 to September 2021.

He was replaced by the former co-commissioner of the Royal Commission into Child Protection and Youth Detention Systems in the Northern Territory, Mick Gooda.

Mr Gooda was the temporary CEO until July this year when he was replaced by Mr Yeatman. This is despite being on the Institute council since November 2019, and also being part of a governance structure overseeing the organisation when it was investigated by ICAC and had churned through CEOs. He also had no training or higher education experience.

In September last year, Mr Riches announced his review to determine whether improper conduct has occurred, is occurring, or is at risk of occurring but his working changed in his annual report when he said it was reviewing “practices, policies and procedures”.

The ICAC and the institute had both issued press releases about the “review” within minutes of each other after receiving questions from the NT Independent, about the investigation several sources had told the paper ICAC had already conducted.

A whistleblower, and another well-placed source, told the NT Independent the watchdog had already investigated based on information it inherited from the former Office of Public Interest Disclosures and produced am earlier report which has not been released.

At the time, ICAC ignored questions about the previous investigation and report, declining to say if it would be released. It is general practice for the ICAC not to comment on matters that may or may not be the subject of investigation.

The NT Independent understands the OICAC was looking into the institute from at least February 2021, just before allegations of misconduct and bullying by some senior managers at the college surfaced.

The whistleblower, who made the initial complaint in 2018 which was formally referred to ICAC, said they had not received any formal response from Commissioner Riches, and further has not undertaken any projects or assignments for the NT Government or agencies despite previously working in a number of senior executive roles and successfully undertaking a variety of other projects and investigations for various NT Government agencies.

This publication is also aware of at least eight internal or external investigations, reviews or audits, at the institute since about August 2017, that examined all aspects of management, allegations of corruption, gross financial mismanagement, bullying, nepotism, and its toxic culture.

The whistleblower’s report that outlined credible allegations of ongoing fraud and misconduct at Batchelor Institute was given to then-chief minister Michael Gunner’s office in late 2019 – after it was requested by a senior ministerial advisor – but it appears the office took no further action.

It detailed 33 serious issues, including allegations that fraudulent qualifications paid for by governments were being handed out to staff, alleged rampant bullying and nepotism by some of the executives, executive contracts not being valid, and that the institute was considered by the Australian Skills Quality Authority of being at “high risk” of not meeting its national training accreditation obligations.

There were also allegations of stolen equipment, claims the institute was spending more money on executives than instructors, employed unqualified staff and that it could not provide student numbers per qualification awarded.