andrew bolt ..australias Novak..

[dudeness]

Andrew Bolt is liable to seven years' jail


It is clear now that someone in the Howard Government committed a criminal offence in leaking a top-secret intelligence document to Melbourne journalist Andrew Bolt. And Bolt committed a criminal offence in publishing material from the document. The penalty is up to seven years' jail.

The Office of National Assessment report, written by Andrew Wilkie, was stamped “top secret. Its use by Bolt (in the Melbourne Herald Sun on June 23, 2003) involved a serious breach of the “official secrets” provisions of the Crimes Act. Unauthorised release, receipt or possession of such a classified document—whether by a cabinet minister, ministerial adviser or journalist—is punishable by up to seven years imprisonment. On the face of it, whoever leaked the document to Bolt, and Bolt himself, are liable to prosecution.

snip

http://melbimc.nomasters.org/news/2003/09/54872_comment.php

[dudeness]

1. more..

Then there's the really big one. The leak of intelligence whistleblower Andrew Wilkie's top secret ONA report on Iraq to Government-friendly journalist Andrew Bolt in June began to haunt Howard last week after his government brazenly briefed government backbencher Sandy Macdonald on its contents to hit Wilkie over the head with in the parliamentary inquiry into Howard's pre-war intelligence.

The leak of Wilkie's report is a serious breach of security and a criminal offence which went unnoticed back in June. The Macdonald drama lifted the lid on the scandal, revealing that ONA had referred the leak to the Australian Federal Police for investigation on July 4. NINE WEEKS later, the AFP had not interviewed Bolt! The AFP now joins Australian Electoral Commission as an 'independent' body under strong suspicion of having been so politicised under John Howard that it no longer performs its duty without fear or favour.

I rang the AFP last week to ask when the investigation began and why Bolt had not been interviewed. The reply: "Following a thorough evaluation, the AFP moved into investigation phase YESTERDAY." The AFP said it was also investigating the use of top secret material by Macdonald. In other words, a government MP is under criminal investigation and the leaker could well be a government staffer or minister guilty of a serious crime and a serious breach of security in a security-conscious Australia


http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/14/1063478065333.html

[lazarus]

2. Not LBN

This is old news, plus the Subject doesn't match as per LBN rules. Locking.