Evidence of bribery allegedly destroyed in Australia

If damning evidence against a defendant is misplaced or destroyed during a court case, a criminal could go free. With this in mind, many courts are looking into electronic document management systems, which can ensure the information from primary sources remains safe from tampering and ruin, either accidental or intended.

According to the Stock Journal, a court case in Australia is underway regarding the destruction of evidence that may have proved that Reserve Bank employees were being bribed between 1999 and 2006 to ensure contracts. Former Note Printing Australia and Securency secretary David Ellery said in a police statement that he was instructed to destroy documents concerning creditor payment details.

"I asked [former Securency managing director Miles] Curtis why he wanted the material destroyed and he responded that he did not want the material at Securency when the RBA audit commenced," Ellery told authorities, the newspaper detailed.

Because now no evidence exists that may indicate something was amiss at the company, the case might not have enough legal footing to convict. This situation is possible around the globe when companies and other institutions misplace or destroy files, so leaders may want to implement policies that could potentially clear their names.

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