The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) spent more than $260,000 on the failed prosecution of NT Children's Commissioner Colleen Gwynne, parliamentary documents show.
In March, Ms Gwynne was found not guilty of abuse of office, when prosecutors withdrew their case just days into the Supreme Court trial.
Responding to a written question from Independent MLA Robyn Lambley, the DPP revealed the total cost incurred in the case amounted to $263,316.53.
The bulk of this cost — $241,454.54 — was attributed to fees paid to interstate barristers, and an additional $5,031.29 spent on 'interstate fares'.
Expenses attributed to the witnesses in the case amounted to $8,399.96, which included accommodation, meals, fares and other costs.
The Office of the DPP noted these expenses only related to external counsel and associated costs, and did not include the cost of its own staff and resources committed to the case.
The breakdown of costs was published on the NT Parliament website.
Expenditure disclosure follows abandonment of case
Ms Gwynne was charged with abuse of office in 2020, accused of attempting to recruit a close friend to the assistant commissioner role between December 2018 and June 2019.
But just days after her trial began in March this year, prosecutors withdrew their case against her, citing insufficient evidence to proceed.
In the reasoning for his judgment, Justice John Burns said a public officer could not be charged for "trying to do the right thing but adopting a poor process".
Ms Gwynne remains on a leave of absence to "consider her next steps", an NT government spokesperson told the ABC.
Nicole Hucks is currently acting in the role of children's commissioner.
