The DFC Commission of Inquiry was appointed two years ago and now, Commissioners Merlene Bailey-Martinez and Herbert Lord have reached a fork in the road. 7NEWS has learned that Commissioner Herbert Lord, government's appointee, has written to Bailey-Martinez to tell her that he is going ahead to write and submit his own report, without her input.
Apparently, the unilateral decision comes after the Cabinet Secretary wrote a letter to the Commissioners at the end of last month on behalf of the Prime Minister. It basically demands that the Commissioners submit their findings to the PM immediately.
And our information says that Lord responded by stating he will be submitting his report independently. He advises Bailey Martinez that she can do the same on her own timing. What will Bailey-Martinez do? Well, she declined comment when we spoke to her today.
But what we will venture to say that it would be very irregular, possibly unprecedented for two separate reports to come from one commission.
