Four Corners: Season 2025, Episode 9

2025 - 9: Crooked

A decade-long investigation has uncovered explosive new evidence suggesting that corrupt former NSW Crime Commission assistant director Mark Standen's criminality was far more extensive than the public was led to believe.  While Standen was jailed for a single drug importation, he is the most senior crime fighter in the country ever to be convicted for such an offence. And now sources and official documents indicate he protected criminals, sabotaged investigations, and is believed to have helped facilitate multiple imports of illegal drugs. Investigative reporter Janine Cohen has been following Standen's case for 14 years, uncovering new details that challenge the official narrative. Now, in his first ever on-camera interview, Standen insists he is innocent — but law enforcement colleagues and others who knew him tell a different story.  As calls grow for a deeper inquiry, Four Corners exposes the full extent of a betrayal that shook Australia's justice system.