The investigation focused specifically on this incident and the external work policy, not on Fazal’s past associations with organised crime.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation says Four Corners reporter Mahmood Fazal has been terminated after an internal investigation found he breached editorial policies by participating in an unauthorised external podcast with a former underworld figure.

Fazal joined the ABC in 2021, moved to Four Corners in 2023, and had been on medical leave for seven months before the termination decision.

Fazal has been contacted for comment, and his most recent Four Corners episode on the sovereign citizen movement aired in August.

Senator Sarah Henderson accused Four Corners of failing standards for employing Fazal, a claim rejected by the ABC’s managing editor who cited career mobility and journalistic objectives.

The ABC’s latest statement ties Fazal’s departure to the investigation’s conclusions, and Fazal has been contacted for comment.

The inquiry reportedly centered on Fazal’s external-work request and podcast appearance and did not extend to broader disputes with Naumenko or to other related interactions in 2024, which Fazal denies.

The discussion included a reference to a separate federal court case where the ABC was found to have unlawfully terminated a staffer, underscoring the need for proper processes.

Fazal, a Walkley-winning journalist, had been involved with an external podcast linked to an online casino and no longer works for the ABC.

Management had some initial information-based support for the interview, but final approval under external-work guidelines was not granted, and the matter is being fully investigated.

Earlier reporting connected Fazal to controversial interactions with organised crime figures, with legal and media disputes continuing, including a demand for apology and damages from Fazal’s side in late 2022.

Fazal says he believed he had manager approval to participate and that he connected Naumenko with production contacts in good faith.