NCJ Number
217735
Date Published
July 2006
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article presents two case studies of actual corruption investigations in Australia.
Abstract
The ICAC findings indicated that bribes were indeed solicited and paid. The ICAC recommended that all parties be prosecuted and that the councilors be relieved of their civic office duties. The ICAC report also indicated the need for reform of the development control systems and on controls of political donations and influence at the local government level. In the first case, the ICAC received a report in 2002 from the Department of Housing that a Client Service Officer (CSO) had solicited a bribe from an applicant for housing. The applicant was reported to have paid $2,000 to the CSO for application approval, with more payments due in the future. The ICAC investigation focused on whether an official of the Department of Housing had attempted to solicit a corrupt payment in exchange for priority housing. The ICAC investigation included a file search, a search of the suspect’s premises, and recordings of telephone and private conversations between specific parties. Public hearings were also commenced, which involved the examination and cross-examination of 10 witnesses. Through its investigation, the ICAC discovered that the CSO indeed engaged in corrupt conduct and recommended that the CSO be prosecuted and be given disciplinary action by the Department. In the second case, the ICAC investigated two city councilors in relation to corrupt dealings with property developers. Evidence provided to the ICAC suggested that the city councilors solicited substantial bribes from the developers in return for supporting their development proposals. The main areas of interest in the ICAC investigation are reviewed, which mainly include several instances of payments for support.