A star reporter for the ABC’s flagship investigative journalism program has been “terminated” after an investigation into his external work on an underworld crime podcast.Mahmood Fazal, a former Mongols bikie-turned-journalist, had worked for Four Corners since 2023 and reported stories that featured rare access to organised crime sources.In September, Fazal appeared on the short-lived Word on the Street podcast co-hosted with Ryan Naumenko, who runs independent crime outlet Outlaw Media.Their relationship imploded after two episodes, and Mr Naumekno made a series of unsubstantiated claims against Fazal, including that he demanded to be paid in cash for his work.It sparked an internal investigation at the national broadcaster, who said Fazal had not received “final approval” to appear on the podcast that featured gambling ads.On Thursday, the ABC confirmed Fazal was “no longer employed at the ABC”, with a spokesperson adding “we do not comment on individual staff matters”.ABC managing director Hugh Marks was asked about the matter during his appearance at a federal senate estimates hearing on Thursday under questioning from Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson.“We conducted an investigation into matters that were raised about Mr Fazal in relation to an external work request that me made to the ABC,” Mr Marks said.“That investigation has now been completed … and as a result of that investigation, Mr Fazal is no longer employed by the ABC.”Mr Marks confirmed Fazal “was terminated” but added it would be “inappropriate” for him to go into details on the investigation, which Fazal had participated in.Fazal has been contacted for comment.Ms Henderson put to Mr Marks that details should be released as she believed “Four Corners has fallen well short of the standards that should apply” to the nation’s premier long-form current affairs program.She then cited a story published in The Australian earlier this year, which reported allegations levelled against Fazal by a producer of YouTuber “Friendly Jordies”.Real name Jordan Shanks, he published a video in 2022 focusing on Sydney’s Alameddine crime family and his producer Kristo Langker later claimed Fazal had passed on threats from the notorious crime network demanding it be removed.Fazal has strongly rejected these allegations.Asked whether these claims factored into the investigation, Mr Marks said it had only been “specifically related to the external work request” Fazal made last year.Gavin Fang, the ABC’s editorial director, was also asked about the serious allegations made against Fazal and whether he should have been hired due to his past criminal associations.Mr Fang recalled that the claims made by Mr Langker were “referred … to the police, which I think was the appropriate place for these to be referred to”.He also defended Fazal’s hiring, saying the former bikie joined as an award-winning journalist who brought “a number of different types of stories that were important to tell to the public, not withstanding any of the allegations you’ve outlined there”.Mr Fang said Fazal had been upfront about his past organised crime connections, which “allowed him to tell stories about what was going on in the criminal underworld”.Ms Henderson hit back saying if Fazal had “a good story to tell, it doesn’t mean you’ve got to hire him as a journalist.”Mr Marks also added that “people are able to move on” in their lives while defending Fazal’s hiring by the broadcaster.Last year, a spokesperson for the ABC explained Fazal’s manager had “endorsed” him to take part in a “podcast interview … based on the information provided”.“The interview did not receive final approval by the ABC as part of the external work guidelines,” a spokesperson said in October.“After the interview aired, which included gambling ads, his manager withdrew endorsement of the work.”