Commonwealth spends more than $7.6 million in prosecuting whistleblowers including Bernard Collaery, David McBride and Richard Boyle

The Commonwealth spent $233,171 prosecuting Richard Boyle's case. 

The Commonwealth has racked up more than $7.6 million in legal fees pursuing whistleblowers, with the bulk of that bill relating to a now-dumped prosecution. 

Officials from the Attorney-General's Department revealed the cost under questioning from New South Wales Greens senator David Shoebridge, who labelled it as a "lavish use of taxpayer funds".