AN INVESTIGATION into the sacking of former Welsh minister Carl Sargeant has been suspended after a legal challenge was made.

Paul Bowen QC has suspended the independent investigation, pending the final determination of the judicial review proceedings brought by Mr Sargeant's wife against the Welsh Government.

Mr Sargeant was found dead at his home in north Wales in November last year, four days after he was sacked from Carwyn Jones' cabinet following allegations of misconduct involving women.

The first minister came in for heavy criticism for giving interviews about the matter in the days immediately following Mr Sargeant's sacking and subsequent death, and later launched an independent inquiry into his actions.

Following the legal challenge, Mr Bowen wrote to participants to inform them that it would not be "appropriate" to take any further steps in the investigation.

The letter said: "Given that the lawfulness of the Operational Protocol will now be considered by the High Court, Mr Bowen QC has taken the decision to suspend the Investigation pending the final determination of the Judicial Review proceedings. It would not be appropriate to take any further steps in the investigation, including obtaining evidence, in circumstances where, if the judicial review is successful, the Operational Protocol could be quashed and the procedure of the Investigation and powers of the Investigator may change.

"In respect of any hearing dates, thank you to all the parties for providing their availability. As previously indicated, based on all parties’ availability, it appears that the earliest that any hearing could take place would be March or April 2019.

"However, in light of the judicial review, it would not be appropriate to set any hearing dates until that has been determined. Therefore, once the judicial review proceedings have concluded, we will revert to the parties to again seek their availability."

Mrs Sargeant had previously revealed that she was seeking a judicial review into a decision not to allow her family's lawyers to question witnesses and to prevent the family from attending hearings, as well as for the hearings not to be held in public and for witnesses not to be legally compelled to give evidence.