News Service from House Harris

Tas: Prosecution urged to deal quickly with top cop's case

HOBART, March 31 AAP - The last of a string of high-profile Tasmanian political and legal figures has given evidence at the preliminary hearing of Tasmania's suspended police chief Jack Johnston on corruption-linked charges.

Johnston, 59, stood in the Hobart Magistrates' Court on Tuesday to be bailed again to reappear in April after one of his three lawyers urged the prosecution to make a decision as soon as possible on whether they will file an indictment.

Terry Forrest, QC, told the court it was in the public interest to have the matter dealt with quickly.

Johnston has pleaded not guilty to two charges of disclosing official secrets.

The Crown alleges that Johnston, as police commissioner, told current Police Minister Jim Cox and former premier Paul Lennon in April 2008 about top-secret police investigations into alleged political corruption and conspiracy.

The police investigations involved cabinet ministers and suspected corrupt practices related to senior political appointments.

The week-long preliminary hearing ended on Tuesday with evidence from Primary Industries Minister David Llewellyn.

Llewellyn was police minister in 2007, when he said then-police commissioner Richard McCreadie told him of a police investigation involving Bryan Green, who had been sacked as deputy premier in 2006.

Mr Llewellyn said he informed Mr Lennon that police were looking into a whistleblower's claim that a Hobart lawyer had been promised the job of solicitor-general in return for working pro bono for Mr Green.

Mr Llewellyn's December 2007 meeting with Mr Lennon came five months before Johnston allegedly told Mr Lennon about that investigation.

Mr Lennon last week changed his evidence on the timing of the alleged disclosure, shifting from an earlier statement that he had learned of the police investigation from Johnston in April last year.

He told the court it was "highly probable" he knew various aspects of the corruption probe from a number of sources before Johnston told him about the matter in a ministerial briefing.

Mr Green has told the court Mr Lennon informed him about the investigation on April 9, 2008.

He said he also discussed the information with the Hobart lawyer linked to the alleged corrupt deal later that day.

Mr Green said no such deal ever existed, noting the lawyer in question had not been appointed to the solicitor-general's position and the whistleblower's claim remained unsubstantiated.

Johnston also allegedly gave details to Mr Lennon and Mr Cox about another corruption probe into then deputy premier Steve Kons over a proposed magistrate's appointment.

Mr Kons was forced to resign his post over the matter, less than 12 months after he had replaced Mr Green.

The news about Mr Kons misleading parliament over the appointment prompted Mr Cox to ask Johnston for the question time briefing providing details of both investigations.

Part of Johnston's defence is that the briefing had parliamentary privilege.

More preliminary hearings will be held on April 20.

The expected trial is tipped for October, 12 months after Johnston was first processed by his own officers and prison staff.

Tasmania's director of public prosecution and solicitor general, as well as former and current senior police and MPs, are expected to be called again to give evidence at trial.