Former Queensland judge Walter Sofronoff KC chaired the 2023 inquiry into the Lehrmann prosecution over the Brittany Higgins case.

Sofronoff challenged the Commission’s Operation Juno report by seeking to overturn it in the Federal Court.

The Drumgold judgment’s finding of bias from Sofronoff’s communications undercut parts of the inquiry, contributing to questions about its validity.

He had previously concluded there was no political interference and criticized the DPP’s impartiality, but later disclosures undermined the inquiry’s integrity.

Abraham rejected Sofronoff’s arguments that the Commission’s findings of dishonesty, bad faith, and partiality were unsupported or that partiality couldn’t be inferred from covert dealings with Albrechtsen.

Sofronoff was found by the ACT Integrity Commission in March to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct for leaking an early copy of the inquiry report to two journalists before its official release.

The commission determined that confidential materials were privately shared with journalist Janet Albrechtsen and another reporter prior to publication, compromising the inquiry’s integrity.

In its Juno report, the Integrity Commission noted elements of corrupt conduct connected to disclosures to Albrechtsen and Elizabeth Byrne, along with extensive communication with Albrechtsen.

Sofronoff’s final Lehrmann-prosecution report was initially deemed properly brought, but later challenged by Drumgold’s victory in the ACT Supreme Court, affecting the report’s publication and perceived bias.

The judgment rejected Sofronoff’s broader claims that direct evidence was required to prove his testimony false and indicated that costs would be decided after submissions.

Justice Wendy Abraham dismissed Sofronoff’s case against the Integrity Commission, with reasons to be released soon.

The case ties to Lehrmann’s aborted 2022 criminal trial for juror misconduct and his defamation suits against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson, where higher courts favored Lehrmann on related consent issues.