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The NSW Supreme Court has suppressed the identity of a media figure who is the subject of an ICAC investigation. Photo: Andrew Quilty

A mystery media figure and the organisation which employs him have lost a legal battle trying to stop the Independent Commission Against Corruption from gaining access to his work emails and diary.

The identities of the media figure and the company have been suppressed by the NSW Supreme Court but the wording of a recent judgment in the matter suggests the person is a political journalist or commentator.

On June 24 the corruption watchdog issued a summons to the media organisation requesting that it produce "an electronic copy of the contents of the following email account in your possession, custody or control". Any other email account or electronic diary controlled by the journalist was also requested.

The summons also required the journalist to attend a secret hearing at the commission on July 8.

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Failure to produce documents or to answer questions can result in a two-year jail term.

The media organisation retaliated by demanding that the ICAC investigators produce documents to show them the nature of their corruption inquiry.

"We know nothing about this investigation," said Bruce McClintock, SC, for the media company when the matter came before Justice Ian Harrison in August.

Mr McClintock argued that the summons was "illogical" and "irrational" and that its scope was unreasonable. He told the court it was "inconceivable" that each and every email, regardless of subject matter, would be relevant to the commission's inquiries.

Link:
ICAC to access emails of mystery media figure