A defence lawyer is set to ask that corruption charges be withdrawn against the former boss of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital who has appeared in court in Australia over a nepotism scandal.

Malcolm Stamp, 69, travelled from his home in Norfolk to appear at Brisbane Magistrates Court, four years after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He was charged after becoming embroiled in an alleged nepotism scandal amid allegations he dishonestly arranged a job for his daughter Katy in 2014 when he ran Queensland's largest public hospital.

Mr Stamp was in charge of the Norfolk and Norwich from 1994 to 2001. During his time in charge, he oversaw preparations to move to the new hospital site in Colney.

He was made a CBE in 2002 and awarded an honorary degree by the UEA in 2000.

He moved to Australia in 2013 to start a new job as chief executive of Metro North Health and Hospital Service in Brisbane.

A warrant for his arrest was issued in 2018 but he was later revealed to be living in a large home up a rural track in Roughton in north Norfolk.

In 2020 he told the EDP that he had not heard from Australian authorities and claimed he had “never been told they had issued an arrest warrant”.

He has now flown to Australia to face a committal hearing in Brisbane to determine whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial on three charges, including corruptly soliciting valuable consideration to influence favour.

However, it has emerged that Mr Stamp's barrister is set to ask the director of public prosecutions (DPP) to drop the charges after the last witness appears in Brisbane Magistrates Court hearing on Wednesday.

If unsuccessful, Stamp's defence team is expected to make a no case submission to the magistrate presiding over the committal.

"Given the way that the (hearing) has proceeded so far it is anticipated once we have reached the end of witnesses we will then be asking for the committal to be adjourned to a later date," senior crown prosecutor Mark Green told the court.

The committal hearing continues.