The much-anticipated report into a police bugging scandal that has plagued the top levels of the NSW force for more than a decade is likely to be delayed with the NSW Ombudsman conceding he is unlikely to meet his June deadline.
The Ombudsman's investigation, named Operation Prospect, began in October 2012 and almost three years later a statement from his office said it was now in "its final stages" and the last of its private hearings were held in March.
"The report to Parliament will be finalised and tabled at the earliest possible opportunity, but it is now clear that this is unlikely to be in June 2015," the statement reads.
The state government tasked the Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour, with examining allegations surrounding illegal bugging by the NSW Police's Special Crime and Internal Affairs and the NSW Crime Commission between 1999 and 2001 and the investigation that followed into it.
Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn worked at SCIA at relevant times. One of the detectives SCIA was bugging was Nick Kaldas, now also a Deputy Commissioner.
The allegations and the Ombudsman's investigation then became the subject of a NSW Parliamentary inquiry at the beginning of this year after concerns were raised at the time it had taken to complete the Operation Prospect investigation.
During the parliamentary inquiry, Mr Kaldas accused Ms Burn of raising his name with an informant later used to bug him, while Ms Burn detailed serious corruption allegations against Mr Kaldas that had led him to be targeted. Ms Burn told the inquiry she no longer suspects Mr Kaldas of knowing about or being involved in corruption.
The inquiry found there was a compelling case to make a specific apology to Mr Kaldas over the bugging scandal and that the Ombudsman should not have also examined both the bugging scandal and who leaked documents to the media about it.
"Combining these two issues has resulted in participants being considered both complainants and perpetrators, and has delayed the completion of the inquiry," the inquiry's report found.
However the airing of decade-old grievances between the two deputy commissioners is believed to have been a reason why Premier Mike Baird asked Andrew Scipione to extend his contract as commissioner for up to another two years.
The Ombudsman's statement, posted on his website, said the "procedural fairness and report writing process" of Operation Prospect was now under way.
This involves the counsel assisting the inquiry providing a series of detailed submissions about hearings and evidence collected during the investigation.
When those submissions are complete they are then sent to "affected persons" who are given an opportunity to comment.
"It is vital the procedural fairness process is completed before the Ombudsman reaches any final views, and makes final findings and recommendations," the Ombudsman's statement reads.
Once that is done, the Ombudsman said, the report will be tabled in Parliament and made public.
A spokesman for Mr Baird said the Premier was aware recents events had added a further dimension to the Ombudsman's report and he looked forward to receiving a comprehensive report as soon as possible.
