THE ACT government will withhold the findings of the Sofronoff Inquiry when they are handed to Chief Minister Andrew Barr on Monday, a move that has drawn the ire of  Bruce Lehrmann.

Barr says the findings of the inquiry into the prosecution for rape of Lehrmann will not be released for a month as the government determines how to deal with what are likely to be seriously adverse findings against ACT chief prosecutor Shane Drumgold.

He says the ACT government will consider the report “through a proper cabinet process” that would take three to four weeks, with the Legislative Assembly “updated” at the end of ­August.

Drumgold has been on leave since May and is not due to return until the end of August.

Subject to the contents of the report, and any legal implications, Barr says he intends to table all, or part, of the report during the August parliamentary sitting and “may provide an interim response to some, or all, of the recommendations” at that time.

“Subject to the recommendations, a final government response may take several months,” he says in a statement reported by The Australian.

No reasonable reason to delay Sofronoff Inquiry findings

Meanwhile, Lehrmann has slammed the government’s decision to keep secret the findings of an inquiry into his abandoned prosecution.

In an Instagram post relating to the revelations, he writes: “Absolute disgrace! I remember someone saying that sunlight is the best disinfectant… The Drumgold protection racket continues. The chief minister should hang his head in shame.”

Mr Lehrmann, a former political adviser, was accused of raping Brittany Higgins in Parliament House after a night out when they were colleagues in March, 2019.  He has always denied the allegations.

His trial was aborted in October due to jury misconduct and Drumgold later dropped the charges amid concerns about the impact a second trial could have on Ms Higgins’ mental health.