The Independent Commission Against Corruption will review the report from the investigation into the City of Newcastle CEO after it was provided to the watchdog.
Pinnacle Integrity has handed its final investigation report into City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath's links with serial letter writer Scott Neylon to ICAC, which had asked for a copy "as it relates to Mr Bath".
Pinnacle said ICAC anticipated providing a formal response following review of the report.
ICAC's request for the documents was revealed in an unredacted outcome letter, released on January 8, which summarised the findings of a Pinnacle Integrity investigation into Mr Bath's links to a letter-writing campaign to the Newcastle Herald under the name of his best friend, Mr Neylon.
A redacted copy of the letter without the ICAC details was published on December 22.
Mr Bath was informed by Pinnacle Integrity on January 10 that ICAC indicated he was "not subject of a current investigation". He said he had not been contacted by ICAC, has long denied involvement in the letters and supports the public release of the investigation report.
The Herald understands ICAC was considering issues involving Mr Bath and had monitored the outcome of the Pinnacle Integrity investigation.
When approached for comment, ICAC would not confirm if it was investigating the matter or making inquiries.
"While the commission also does not comment on specific matters, it is not unusual for it to request copies of external reports," an ICAC spokesperson said.
Pinnacle Integrity also told Mr Bath the request did not imply that ICAC would investigate and that it was standard practice for oversight bodies to request reports.
ICAC did confirm it would not investigate a referral from Pinnacle Integrity "regarding the release of confidential electoral roll details", according to the unredacted outcome letter.
Pinnacle Integrity referred that matter to ICAC on September 29, 2023 after a Newcastle council resolution on July 25 which called for the scope of the independent investigation to examine "how confidential electoral roll details about council staff and their friends and family came into the possession of journalists".
ICAC instead referred the inquiry to the NSW Electoral Commission.
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery, a target of Mr Neylon's letters, said she would welcome any efforts from ICAC to investigate the report, terms of reference and any other matters in relation to the letters and Mr Bath.
Ms Hornery reiterated that she did not access the electoral roll and leak details to journalists in relation to either Jeremy Bath, Scott Neylon or any other Newcastle council employees.
"The Newcastle Herald have published on numerous occasions that they did not receive address details from any MP offices," she said in a statement on social media.
Ms Hornery also again said that she had initiated legal proceedings against Labor councillors over the July 25 council resolution, which took aim at the MP.
Pinnacle Integrity's probe stems from a Herald investigation which revealed that, for almost a decade, Mr Neylon, who sometimes curiously misspells his surname as Neylan, had submitted 18 letters to the Herald, five of which were published.
The letters followed Mr Bath's career progression, attacking his critics and supporting his employers. As part of its investigation, the Herald revealed that Mr Neylon lists Mr Bath's home as his address in Australia.
The Pinnacle Integrity investigation, which did not include any contact with the Herald or any requests for unpublished letters, found "no evidence that Mr Bath directly contributed to the letters".
