Nightmare is over CCC drops two more Qld council misconduct cases

Charges against a former Queensland councillor and a local developer have been dropped by the state’s crime and corruption watchdog more than two years after the accusations were made.

The decision came after the watchdog abandoned fraud charges against eight other former Queensland councillors earlier this year, citing the same reason â€" insufficient evidence.

Former Moreton Bay councillor Adrian Melville Raedel expressed relief after a corruption charge against him was dropped. Credit:Facebook

On Monday, a single charge of official corruption against former Moreton Bay councillor Adrian Melville Raedel was dropped in the Brisbane Magistrates Court, with prosecutors “offering no evidence”.

Mr Raedel was charged in June 2019 by the Crime and Corruption Commission as part of its investigation into conduct related to the Moreton Bay Regional Council, north of Brisbane.

“I’ve always maintained that I was innocent,” Mr Raedel said. “The decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions supports my stance of innocence, and I thank the DPP for making the right decision.

“I am very relieved and can enjoy time with my family much easier.

“I would like to thank my wife, who stood by me, my sons, who gave me reason, along with my family and friends, who supported me throughout this tough time.”

Mr Raedel wrote separately on LinkedIn: “It’s been a long two years in coming … Politics can be such a dirty game, but anyway, the nightmare is over.”

Mr Raedel, who is no longer involved with Moreton Bay Regional Council, was replaced in Division 12.

Local developer Tosh Ordy Murphy also saw his charge of giving or offering a benefit to a public officer dropped in court on Monday, with prosecutors again “offering no evidence”.

The July 2019 charge against Mr Murphy related to his relationship with then-councillor Raedel.

“Common sense prevailed,” Mr Murphy said when contacted by Brisbane Times.

A CCC spokesman said the decision to discontinue the charges against Mr Raedel and Mr Murphy was made off the back of advice from the independent Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

“It is not appropriate for the CCC to comment further at this point in time,” the spokesman said.

In April, the CCC also dropped charges against eight Logan councillors.

Those councillors had been automatically suspended when they were hit with criminal charges, triggering Logan City Council’s dismissal and the appointment of an administrator.

The Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee, which oversees the CCC, announced it would probe the commission’s investigation into the Logan councillors.

In response to the dropping of the Logan charges, Local Government Association of Queensland chief executive Greg Hallam called for CCC chair Alan MacSporran to step aside so an inquiry could look into the commission’s actions.

Mr MacSporran fired back in a statement soon after.

“There can be no legitimate claim or criticism that the CCC had no jurisdiction to investigate, or that it was misconceived or somehow inappropriate to charge these individuals,” he said.

“The Queensland community expects a strong, independent agency to investigate allegations of corruption ... [the dropping of charges] will not deter this agency from investigating serious allegations of corrupt conduct and, where warranted, placing people before the courts.”

Toby Crockford is court reporter for the Brisbane Times.

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