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Death Mystery to CMC Premier Acts On Citizen's Complaint By Susann Kovacs (December 26, 2003) The Queensland Premier has passed a citizen’s complaint about the conduct of police investigating the mysterious death of a Brisbane man 13 years ago (see Mysterious Death and the John Oxley Connection) to the Crime and Misconduct Commission. New Farm resident Robert Althaus said he contacted Queensland Premier Peter Beattie in mid-October to alert him to The Justice Project’s revelations about the apparent failure of police to interview a man found at the scene of a killing in Brisbane in 1990. In a reply dated December 4, the Premier’s office advised that it had passed the matter to the CMC. The Justice Project reported former Queensland Police Commissioner Noel Newnham’s call for the CMC to conduct an “immediate investigation,” into the matter seven weeks earlier – on October 12. The issue was also raised before the House of Representatives Committee of Inquiry into Crime in the Community on October 27. In a response to Mr Althaus, the Premier’s Chief-of-Staff said: “As the concerns you have raised may involve official misconduct, I have notified the Crime and Misconduct Commission of your allegations by forwarding them a copy of your e-mail.” When asked how he thought the CMC might handle his complaint, Mr Althaus said he was “sceptical”. “I don’t expect anything to come of it at all,” he said. “Once anything has been referred to the Crime and Misconduct Commission, it’s referred there for approval rather than any determination.” Mr Althaus said he was quite concerned as a citizen that nothing had been done about the matter. “It seems to take uni students and lecturers to delve into a matter like this when it should be something for the investigative powers of the police,” he said. The CMC has advised it has responded to the Premier's letter but has advised The Justice Project that "it is not appropriate for the Commission to provide this information to anyone not directly involved". Top 1270 page visits Content Management Software 2008