City of Canterbury Bankstown Council says it will be fully cooperate with a NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry into allegations concerning a former Council employee and a former contractor.
The public inquiry is due to begin on Monday 3 June as part of a corruption investigation into former staffer, Benjamin Webb and contractor, Pietro Cossu and others over a series of alleged dishonestly obtained contracts spanning two years.
A Council spokesperson said it was Council that brought the issue to the ICAC’s attention following matters it had identified.
“We notified the commission about our concerns and have been assisting and fully cooperating with their inquiries,” the spokesperson said.
“As the matter is now set down for a public inquiry, Council will not be making any further comment.”
The ICAC inquiry will probe whether Mr Cossu and Mr Web “partially or dishonestly” exercised their roles by using a company called PMLV Invest & Const Pty Ltd for recruitment subcontractor services without disclosing their interests in the company.
The commission will also investigate whether the duo “partially or dishonestly” exercised their roles to favour a second company, General Works & Construction Pty Ltd (GWAC) by attempting to influence the award of council contracts or use PMLV Invest & Const Pty Ltd to subcontract GWAC council contracts to benefit themselves or others.
ICAC commissioner Helen Murrell SC will preside over the three-week hearing to examine the alleged misconduct between May 2020 to December 2022.
