Four people, including three former Keltbray site managers, have been jailed for bribery in relation to the awarding of demolition contracts.<\/p>\n
Arben Hysa, 56, was found guilty in February of bribing the trio to secure contracts worth more than \u00a315m through his company Tony Demolition Workers Ltd.<\/p>\n
He was sentenced yesterday (28 April) at Southwark Crown Court to three-and-a-half years imprisonment, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement yesterday.<\/p>\n
The same sentence was handed down to 64-year-old former Keltbray site manager Michael McCarthy, who was convicted in February on one count of bribery, according to the statement.<\/p>\n
Fellow ex-Keltbray site manager John Burke, 56, was also given a three-and-a-half year sentence after being found guilty on one count of bribery, the CPS said.<\/p>\n
It added that another ex-Keltbray site manager, 53-year-old Simon Lacey, received a two-year sentence following his conviction on one count of bribery.<\/p>\n
The bribes totalled more than \u00a3600,000 between 2012 and 2018, according to the CPS.<\/p>\n
From February 2013 to June 2018, McCarthy accepted \u00a3292,211.72, Burke received \u00a3217,160.86, and Lacey \u00a391,521.79, jurors at the trial were told.<\/p>\n
Burke spent cash on holidays in exotic locations across the world, they heard.<\/p>\n
Keltbray dismissed Burke, Lacey and McCarthy in 2018.<\/p>\n
Andrew Cant, a specialist prosecutor in the CPS\u2019s Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate, said: \u201cCorruption in the construction industry distorts competition between companies and makes the UK a less attractive marketplace for domestic and foreign investors.<\/p>\n
\u201cMcCarthy, Lacey and Burke ignored the rules in respect of their obligation to act in the interests of their employer Keltbray when dealing with external contractors by accepting significant sums of money from Arben Hysa.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that the CPS will now commence confiscation proceedings in order to reclaim the \u201cill-gotten gains of the defendants\u2019 crimes\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a statement provided to\u00a0Construction News <\/em>after the sentencing hearing, Keltbray said: “Following the Crown Court\u2019s sentencing yesterday of three former Keltbray employees for corruption, Keltbray firmly welcomes the decisive outcome and the clear message it sends about accountability and justice.<\/p>\n “Keltbray was a direct victim of these individuals\u2019 serious breaches of trust during their employment between 2012 and 2018.<\/p>\n “Their actions were a gross violation of the responsibilities entrusted to them, and we are dismayed by their misconduct. Keltbray fully supported the authorities throughout the extensive investigation and judicial process, and the severity of the sentences rightly reflects the gravity of their offences. Keltbray thanks the CPS for their action in this case.<\/p>\n “This verdict upholds the principles enshrined in Keltbray\u2019s Code of Conduct and demonstrates the critical importance of our zero-tolerance approach, including the immediate dismissal of those involved at the time. Now that justice has been served, we are resolute in continuing our commitment to promoting the highest standards of integrity, ethics, and professionalism across every part of our organisation.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Four people, including three former Keltbray site managers, have been jailed for bribery in relation to the awarding of demolition contracts. Arben Hysa, 56, was found guilty in February of bribing the trio to secure contracts worth more than \u00a315m through his company Tony Demolition Workers Ltd. He was sentenced yesterday (28 April) at Southwark …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135716,"featured_media":514859,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[578],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n