State Services Commission to investigate MoT fraud

The State Services Commission will take over the investigation from the Ministry of Transport into Joanne Harrison’s fraud case. State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes said today he was stepping in due to mounting public concern in the case. "Public servants must be able to raise concerns without fear of punishment or reprisal," he told news website Stuff. "If public servants raised genuine concerns through proper channels and were then disadvantaged in any way because of it, that would be completely unacceptable and something I view very seriously," he said. This comes on the same day Auditor-General Martin Matthews, who was the CEO of the transport ministry at the time Harrison committed the fraud, will appear in front of MPs at a Parliament committee meeting. The investigation will be carried out by Sandi Beatie, QSO, who will report to the State Services Commissioner. "Ms Beatie is a very experienced and highly regarded former senior Public Servant and Deputy State Services Commissioner," Hughes said. "If anyone feels they were disadvantaged by Ms Harrison during their employment at the Ministry of Transport I ask them to come forward so the matter can be investigated."