Convictions follow trial at Southwark Crown Court
Three former Keltbray employees have been found guilty of receiving bribes from a labour agency after a trial at Southwark Crown Court.
The bribes totaled more than £600,000 and were paid between 2012 and 2018, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
It said Keltbray managers Michael McCarthy, Simon Lacey and John Burke were convicted of receiving the bribes “which represented a ‘breach of trust’ in respect of their obligations to their employer Keltbray”.
Arben Hysa was convicted of bribing the three during the period which saw his company, London-based Tony Demolition Workers Ltd, benefit from Keltbray specialist labour contracts worth £15m.
Hysa, 56, was found guilty of three counts of bribery while McCarthy, 64, Lacey, 52, and Burke, 55, were each found guilty of one count of bribery.
Specialist prosecutor Andrew Cant said: “McCarthy, 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.”
He added: “The CPS will now commence confiscation proceedings in order to reclaim the ill-gotten gains of the defendants’ crimes.”
A fifth person, solicitor Catherine Williams, 48, was found not guilty of one count of money laundering related offences. But Cant said: “Williams allowed her bank account to be used by Burke to receive the bribes.”
The CPS added: “This successful CPS prosecution was launched with the personal consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions, following a Home Office investigation into demolition industry labour contracts between Keltbray and Tony Demolition Workers Ltd.”
Keltbray dismissed the three in 2018 when allegations came to light and in a statement said: “Keltbray is relieved to see justice done following the recent guilty verdict at Southwark Crown Court. This outcome reinforces our commitment to accountability and upholding the highest standards of conduct across our business.
“The verdict reflects the values outlined in Keltbray’s Code of Conduct, and emphasises the importance of our immediate dismissal policy, which was applied at the time of the incident. We are pleased to bring this matter to a close and remain focused on maintaining a culture of integrity and respect within our organisation.”
Sentencing will take place in April.
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