One of Victoria's top cops has been suspended from the force after he was charged by the state's anti-corruption watchdog with leaking restricted information.
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Commander Stuart Bateson was charged on Thursday with three counts of disclosing a restricted matter, following an investigation by the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission.
He is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 4.
In a statement, a Victoria Police spokeswoman confirmed a commander had been suspended.
"This follows an announcement by IBAC on June 6 that the officer was charged on summons with three counts of disclosing a restricted matter," the spokeswoman said on Monday.
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"As this is an IBAC investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further."
Mr Bateson joined the police force in 1987 and has served as a detective in areas such as organised crime, counter-terrorism and homicide.
He was a member of the Purana task force at the height of Melbourne's gangland war and has a central character in the first season of the popular TV series Underbelly based on him.
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In 2017, Mr Bateson was awarded the Australian Police Medal for distinguished service to law enforcement.
He is also due to be called next week as a witness at the royal commission into the use of police informers, including Nicola Gobbo, also known as 'Lawyer X'.
It is unclear if his suspension will affect that appearance.
AAP
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