MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Legal Newsline) — Acting Alabama attorney general Chris McCool announced May 2 that the case of alleged wrongdoing at Alabama State University (ASU) has been closed.
McCool’s office released a statement after media inquiries about substantial information put in the public domain by other governmental agencies.
The Office of the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division (SPD) opened the case after complaints from former employees and pursuant to a public referral from former Gov. Robert Bentley, who served as the ex officio Chairman of the ASU Board of Trustees. Attorney General Luther Strange recused himself from the case and appointed McCool.
The case has been open since 2012 when Bentley publicly announced he was referring the matter to the Attorney General’s Office. McCool then directed SPD chief Matt Hart to impanel a special grand jury in Montgomery County to look into the allegations. The SPD worked with the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama on the matter.
After evaluation, the special grand jury decided not to act on the allegations. Therefore, the matter is closed.