Margaret Cunneen wins right to stop ICAC investigation

ICAC will appeal to the High Court after Crown Prosecutor Margaret Cunneen won her court bid to stymie a corruption probe.

Ms Cuneen was today successful in preventing the NSW corruption watch dog from investigating claims she perverted the course of justice. 

However, ICAC will pursue the case through the highest court, saying the finding had damaged its ability to investigate corruption.

"Today's majority decision...public inquiry fundamentally affects the scope of the Commission’s powers to conduct investigations into corrupt conduct," an ICAC statement read.

"It is critical to the exercise of the Commission’s powers generally that the construction of section 8 of the ICAC Act is settled."

ICAC was looking into reports Ms Cunneen coached her son's girlfriend on how to behave after a car crash on May 31st. 

It was alleged she told Sophia Tilley, 25, to feign chest pains following the accident so she could be taken to hospital and avoid a police breath test. 

Ms Cunneen denied the allegations and launched legal action. 

She lost a Supreme Court bid to have the case shut down last month, but the Court of Appeal ruled in her favour today. 

Her legal team successfully argued the investigation was beyond ICAC’s jurisdiction.