Police are still considering whether to bring criminal charges against Frank Zumbo, Craig Kelly’s former office manager, a court has heard.
Zumbo was a senior aide to the former Liberal parliamentarian, who has now moved to the crossbench.
On Tuesday a mention of an apprehended violence order against Zumbo in Sutherland local court was adjourned for two weeks as police said they needed to “work out where the matter was up to and possibility of criminal charges”.
The provisional AVO was taken out in 2020 against Zumbo, who was then working in Kelly’s office. Zumbo has said he will oppose the AVO, which is due for a court hearing at the end of June.
The AVO regards a young complainant, the court was told on Tuesday.
Zumbo’s lawyer told the court that it was “unacceptable” that police still did not know whether to charge his client. He said the police had been considering the matter for more than a year and the prosecution had said they would have “their ducks in a row” by October.
“And now, three weeks before the hearing, and we’re still talking about pending charges,” he told the court. “It’s unacceptable, to say the least.
“It is unfair that a person such as Mr Zumbo has constantly had that narrative saying ‘pending legal advice’ which has been the narrative for the last 12 months.”
The police told the court that “the only people who are at a forensic disadvantage are the prosecution” as a result of the delay. Police also said it was possible that the scheduled hearing date could be vacated.
Zumbo’s lawyer said he neither opposed nor consented to the adjournment application.
The mention has been adjourned until 16 June.
