Former Deloitte partner says removed Defence docs were ‘drafts’
A former Deloitte partner has acknowledged he removed two Defence-related documents held by the firm when he left – but maintains both were drafts that were not “confidential or classified”.
Both documents were held by Deloitte on the basis it was bound by “client confidentiality” to keep them secret, a firm spokeswoman said. The former partner had breached the firm’s policies and that Defence had been informed of the matter, she added.
David Milo, CEO of Synergy 360.
Former Deloitte partner David Milo removed a Defence findings report relating to ForceNet, an online military communications platform, and a Deloitte proposal related to a Defence digital health system when he left the firm in May 2017, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age reported on Thursday.
The papers reported that Mr Milo shared the documents with associates at his new consulting firm, Synergy 360. The firm has been controversially linked to former Coalition minister Stuart Robert.
Mr Milo protested his innocence of the matter on Thursday afternoon.
“This has all been taken out of context,” he said. “The documents in question were both drafts. They were drafted by me and they’re not confidential or classified. They were sent as examples of the format that should be used for that kind of work.”
The Deloitte spokeswoman said the firm took the matter “extremely seriously as it represents a breach of our policies and Mr Milo’s obligations”.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation and take action, including a demand of the return of all Deloitte information from Mr Milo,” she said. “The materials featured in the [Herald and Age articles] were bound by client confidentiality, they were not classified, were outdated and held no commercial advantage.”
The
Read more on afr.com
