ICAC's executive assistant faces court over leaking charges; police officer facing similar charge | NT Independent

ICAC’s executive assistant faces court over leaking charges; police officer facing similar charge

by | Jul 18, 2022 | Cops, Court, News | 0 comments

ICAC Michael Riches’s executive assistant has faced court for the first time after being charged with disclosing confidential information in alleged breach of the ICAC Act.

Kate Tayla Johnson, 23, appeared in Darwin Local Court Tuesday morning to answer to the charge as well as allegedly disclosing information “obtained in the course of performing a function”.

Ms Johnson’s lawyer, Julie Franz, had the matter adjourned until next month, but said it was likely her client would enter a plea “to an appropriate charge” but it was unclear what that charge would be.

Details of what she is alleged to have leaked were not disclosed in court.

NT Police issued a statement last month to say an unnamed ICAC staffer had been charged after receiving a referral from the OICAC and seizing a phone on June 3.

Kate Johnson was executive assistant to the ICAC.

The latest annual ICAC report indicated Ms Johnson was also secretariat of the Operations Committee – the executive committee that receives reports from investigators “and provides evidence-based recommendations to the Commissioner”.

This means that Ms Johnson would reportedly have knowledge of every investigation the Office of the ICAC was conducting in her role as executive assistant to Mr Riches and her role on the executive committee.

Mr Riches appeared to have disclosed her identity last month during Budget Estimates hearings when asked about his executive assistant’s role.

He declined to comment when asked about Ms Johnson by the NT Independent last month, referring to his previous statement in which he said “those who work in my office must act with the utmost integrity” and that where “allegations of impropriety are made about my staff or me, they will be taken seriously”.

Meanwhile, NT Police officer Jeannie Secrett, 50, separately had her case in court on Tuesday as well. She is charged with one count of disclosure of confidential information. Ms Secrett, who has been suspended from the force with pay, had her case adjourned to September.

It is understood the two cases are not related although NT Police released statements about the charges of both matters on the same day last month.

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