The Alberta Securities Commission says it fired the director of administrative services because he refused to co-operate with an internal investigation.

In a news release, the commission said Grahame Newton would not talk to KPMG investigators hired to conduct an audit, and admitted to intercepting private e-mail from staff.

KPMG was hired to do an audit of the commission after Finance Minister Shirley McClellan asked that allegations of wrongdoing at the ASC be investigated.

In March, citing unnamed sources, the National Post reported that there had been complaints from commission staff involving interference with enforcement cases and favouritism, and that the commission had asked a lawyer to investigate the complaints.

Both Stephen Sibold, chairman of the ASC, and David Linder, its executive director denied the allegations raised in the article.