SYDNEY lawyer Zali Burrows has called for a Royal Commission to examine ASADA’s conduct in the ‘‘drugs in sport’’ saga.
Burrows has been an outspoken critic of ASADA’s long-running investigations, and describes the latest decision relayed by ASADA to Sharks officials on Saturday — to cancel any further Cronulla Sharks player interviews — as a ‘‘continuing debacle’’.
ASADA recently met with backrower Wade Graham for several hours but legal disputes over what player co-operation was required saw ASADA suddenly cancel Graham’s interview.
Some observers suggest the move by ASADA is to try to gain infraction notices based on material from Trish Cavanagh’s independent report into the Sharks alleged doping practices in 2011, leaked and published by News Ltd.
However, Burrows slammed such suggestions yesterday.
‘‘The Kavanagh report would not be admissible evidence in a court of law, so the NRL should not make any findings upon any report based upon hearsay, opinion, and findings that are not scrutinised,’’ she said.
‘‘The NRL would be constrained acting upon any [ASADA] recommendations for breach and prosecutions, based on a report that was not commissioned by ASADA, and open to a challenge because of a lack of due process.
‘‘How can ASADA refer matters for infractions upon a report that they were not party to. It ... would most certainly be a breach of natural justice.’’
Burrows said the NRL should demand that ASADA provide them with evidence, and ‘‘not mere suspicions’’.
‘‘Failing that, the NRL should kindly ask ASADA to ’go away’,’’ she said.
She said the drugs in sport saga had served little more than a ‘‘political agenda, leaving a carnage of reputations in its wake’’.
‘‘If ASADA have compelling evidence to mount a successful prosecution then it should do so,’’ Burrows said.
‘‘But I would like a Royal Commission into ASADA’s conduct.
‘‘Let the ASADA investigators be investigated — and to be compelled for questioning.’’
Do you support the ASADA investigations?
See related stories:
