A police inquiry might be necessary to establish whether former ACC chairman John Judge deliberately destroyed information in his computers, the Green Party says.
ACC Minister Judith Collins says Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff's inquiry into a leaked email is being hampered by Mr Judge having replaced or wiped his computers.
The email in question, which identified Bronwyn Pullar as the ACC claimant at the centre of a privacy scandal, was leaked to the Herald on Sunday.
It was sent to Ms Collins, Mr Judge and ACC chief executive Ralph Stewart.
Mr Judge and Mr Stewart have resigned, although Mr Stewart is staying on until the end of the year.
Ms Collins said in response to an Official Information Act request from the New Zealand Herald that she had been advised Mr Judge replaced his home computer and the old one was "no longer accessible".
She was also advised he was given an iPad by ACC but it was wiped before it was returned.
Mr Judge, who strenuously denies leaking the email, has accused Ms Collins of trying to blacken his name.
He says everything in his old computer was transferred to his new one, and his iPad didn't receive emails.
The Greens' ACC spokesman, Kevin Hague, says ACC's procedures about the use of its hardware, and official information sent to private email addresses, should be part of Ms Shroff's inquiry.
"It is important for the integrity of the public service that they are investigated properly," he said on Friday.
"The police may need to investigate whether or not former ACC chairman John Judge has deliberately destroyed potentially crucial information."
NZN