Australia’s Secretary of Justice on Wednesday denied having sex with a woman who accused him of raping her when she was a 16 – year – old, 33, and said he would not resign as the country’s chief justice.
Christian Porter recently said he would take leave to take care of his mental health after the allegations were made public.
Speaking to reporters, he said, “I am going to take a two-week vacation for my own sanity. “I think I can come back from that and do my job.”
Whistleblower committed suicide last year, and his allegations against Porter were made public last week after they were sent in anonymous letters to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and other legislators.
The media had reported that 16 of Morrison’s 22-member cabinet had been raped, although Porter was identified as a suspect online.
The 50-year-old former criminal prosecutor said he decided to talk following what police said Tuesday that there was not enough evidence to continue the criminal investigation.
Leading lawyers and friends of the woman have called for an independent inquiry into the allegations against Porter.
Morrison pointed out that Porter denies the allegations, and said it should be the police who are handling the case.
Porter said the allegation did not justify leaving his post.
“If I leave my job as Attorney General because of the accusation that something did not happen, anyone in Australia will lose their careers, jobs, careers, because of an accusation that appears in the media,” Porter said.
Porter said he was 17 years old in January 1988 when four people complained to the school debating committee and then competed at the age of 16. He later said he had not been asked.
The case has escalated over allegations of sexual harassment and violence in parliament after an employee lodged an unrelated complaint two weeks ago alleging sexual harassment by a high-ranking colleague in a minister’s office.
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