Four Corners reporter Mahmood Fazal is no longer working for the ABC after an investigation into the former bikie’s involvement in a podcast sponsored by an online casino.
The ABC’s managing director, Hugh Marks, told Senate estimates on Thursday Fazal’s employment had been “terminated” after the investigation.
“It’s inappropriate for me to go into the details of the investigation but the outcome of the investigation is the findings have led to Mr Fazal no longer being paid by the ABC,” Marks said.
Last year, Fazal appeared in an external podcast about underworld crime with Melbourne producer Ryan Naumenko, who described himself as once having associated with the mafia.
Fazal, a Walkley award-winning journalist, got initial approval to take part in the podcast but it was withdrawn after the first episode contained gambling ads.
An ABC spokesperson said in October: “Mahmood’s immediate manager endorsed him taking part in a podcast interview, based on the information provided to him.”
Fazal had been on leave during the investigation. He is a former reporter for Vice and a former sergeant at arms of the outlaw bikie gang the Mongols, which he has written about for the ABC.
He joined the national broadcaster as a reporter in 2021 before joining the current affairs program in 2023.
Speaking at Senate estimates on Thursday, Marks said the investigation did not concern Fazal’s past involvement with organised crime.
“It was very important under our enterprise agreement that we were very specific as to the scope of that investigation,” he said.
Liberal Senator, Sarah Henderson, claimed Four Corners had failed to uphold the ABC’s standards by employing Fazal as a reporter, which Marks rejected.
“People are able to move on in their careers,” Marks said.
“The reasons to hire are to try and get deeper into an area of society in our Australia that is of some interest, I think, to the public. That was the objective.
“Now, have we met those objectives? I think there’s been some good stories produced. Obviously, there have been issues which have led us to where we are today.”
In November, Marks told the National Press Club the ABC was being careful after the federal court found it had unlawfully terminated Antoinette Lattouf’s employment.
“When something goes wrong, follow the process,” Marks said at the time .
“Make sure we do all the things that are necessary to have a rigorous and thoughtful investigation of whatever occurs.”
Fazal has been contacted for comment.
In a statement on his behalf to the ABC’s Media Watch in October, the lawyer Rebekah Giles said: “Mr Fazal agreed to be interviewed by Mr Naumenko believing he had his manager’s approval to do so.”
Fazal’s last Four Corners episode, about the sovereign citizen movement, aired in August.
