“The city’s watchdog agency in charge of uncovering City Hall corruption lost a court fight to force Mayor Richard Daley’s administration to turn over documents relating to the awarding of a no-bid contract.

The Inspector General’s Office last fall sued Daley’s top lawyer, Mara Georges, and accused her of stymieing an internal investigation into possible wrongdoing by current and former employees.

…Cook County Circuit Court judge dismissed the lawsuit. The judge found that the inspector general does not have the authority to sue the city’s corporation counsel and that Georges had a valid attorney-client claim for not turning over some records, said Melissa Stratton, a law department spokeswoman.

Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, who took over the office after the lawsuit was filed last November, said he would not decide whether to appeal until reading the transcript of the judge’s ruling. But he said the decision appears to put the mayor’s office in control of how far an internal investigation can go into the administration.”

Source of Inspector General News blog: Chicago Tribune