Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, Sarah McNaughton SC

On 5 May 2016, the former Attorney‑ General, Senator the Hon. George Brandis QC, announced the appointment of Ms Sarah McNaughton SC as Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions for five years.

Ms McNaughton has 31 years’ experience as a legal practitioner, having held a range of roles in private practice and with the CDPP. She has been a respected member of the New South Wales Bar since 1996 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2011. With specialist expertise in offences related to taxation, corporate crime, drug importation and counter terrorism, Ms McNaughton has appeared as prosecution and defence counsel in complex criminal trials.

She holds Bachelor degrees in Arts (Hons) and Law (Hons), and a Master of Laws from the University of Sydney.

Commonwealth Solicitor for Public Prosecutions, Andrea Pavleka

In February 2017, the Director appointed Ms Pavleka as the Commonwealth Solicitor for Public Prosecutions. Prior to her appointment, Ms Pavleka was Deputy Director of the Illegal Imports and Exports and the Human Exploitation and Border Protection practice groups.

In her career as a criminal prosecutor, spanning 29 years, Ms Pavleka has managed a range of functions across the CDPP’s practice, including prosecutions related to drug importations, tax fraud, people smuggling, organised crime and counter terrorism. As a federal prosecutor, she managed major criminal litigation, including some of the CDPP’s most complex and long‑running trials.

Ms Pavleka has been a member of the senior executive since 2004 and has worked in both the Melbourne and Sydney offices of the CDPP. Ms Pavleka holds a Law degree from the Australian National University.

Deputy Director Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism, Scott Bruckard PSM

Mr Bruckard joined the CDPP in 1987 and has been a member of the ELG since 2014. He leads the Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism practice group, responsible for prosecutions related to terrorism, large‑scale drug and tobacco importation, firearms trafficking, money laundering, war crimes and national security.

Mr Bruckard is committed to improving law enforcement outcomes and developing better ways to manage large criminal litigation, particularly through more effective partnerships and the application of new technology.

In June 2016, Mr Bruckard was awarded a Public Service Medal in recognition of his distinguished service to the law enforcement and justice community, particularly his role in leading significant counter terrorism prosecutions.

He holds degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Melbourne.

Deputy Director Revenue and Benefits Fraud and International Assistance and Specialist Agencies, James Carter

Mr Carter has extensive experience in Commonwealth criminal law, having commenced his legal career at the CDPP in 1987. After prosecuting matters in the ACT and NSW, he worked in the areas of law reform and practice management. He then became the Deputy Director for Revenue and Benefits Fraud and in 2019 also assumed responsibility for International Assistance and Specialist Agencies.

Mr Carter has worked extensively with partner agencies across a wide range of criminal offences, prosecuting matters relating to tax, social security and identity fraud, helping to protect the integrity of Commonwealth programs. He has also contributed to the work of the Australian Law Reform Commission, particularly in relation to sentencing federal offenders and the development of Commonwealth criminal law.

Mr Carter has been a member of the senior executive of the CDPP since 2004 and a Deputy Director since 2007. He holds degrees in Law and Arts from the Australian National University, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Deputy Director Illegal Imports and Exports and Human Exploitation and Border Protection, Mark de Crespigny

Mr de Crespigny has national responsibility for a large variety of crime types, including general drug and precursor importation offences, money laundering, child exploitation offences, human trafficking, slavery and people smuggling.

He joined the CDPP in 1989 and has worked in our Sydney, Canberra and Adelaide offices. Mr de Crespigny’s experience in successfully prosecuting a range of crime types and managing relationships with key stakeholders underpins his ability to coordinate a broad and complex area of national practice.

As a member of the senior executive for more than 12 years, Mr de Crespigny became responsible for the Illegal Imports and Exports practice group and the Human Exploitation and Border Protection practice group in 2017.

Mr de Crespigny holds degrees in Law and Commerce from the Australian National University.

Deputy Director Commercial, Financial and Corruption, Berdj Tchakerian

Mr Tchakerian joined the CDPP in 1986 and has prosecuted a wide range of cases including fraud and drug matters. He was the CDPP’s representative on Project Wickenby, a whole‑of‑government taskforce focused on combatting tax fraud. In this role he worked closely with partner agencies over a number of years to contribute to the success of the taskforce and maintains strong links in this area of law enforcement.

Mr Tchakerian became a member of the CDPP’s senior executive in 2000, and in 2017 he became responsible for the Commercial, Financial and Corruption practice group.

He holds degrees in Law and Arts from Monash University.

Chief Corporate Officer, Sabeena Oberoi

Ms Oberoi joined the CDPP in November 2019 as the Chief Corporate Officer heading up the Enabling Services Group and her responsibilities include people, communication, governance, risk, audit, administrative support, library, finance, property, ICT, caseHQ and digital transformation.

Ms Oberoi has been with Australian Public Service for more than 25 years and as a senior executive for more than 12 years. She has extensive experience at senior levels in a wide range of areas including policy development and implementation, business transformation, building capability, driving organisational change and complex stakeholder engagement.

Ms Oberoi has a Bachelor of Mathematics (Hons) and a Bachelor of Commerce in Banking and Finance.