My Account
Two former Auckland Transport and Rodney District Council employees, who are facing charges of bribery and corruption worth more than $1 million, were again remanded on bail when they appeared in the North Shore Court this morning.
Barrie Kenneth James George, 68, and one other who has had his name suppression extended, are facing Crimes Act charges of corruption and bribery of an official.
They were both remanded without plea to reappear on July 16.
A third man, Stephen James Borlase, who is facing the same charges, did not appear today but has also been remanded to appear on July 16.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is alleging that Mr George and an associate, while in various engineering and management roles either at AT or Rodney Council, received undisclosed payments or gratuities from Projenz director Mr Borlase. Projenz was a supplier to AT and Rodney.
The gratuities often came in the form of cash, travel, accommodation and entertainment.
The SFO alleges a culture was created within the road maintenance division where the acceptance of gratuities was part and parcel of the working environment.
The alleged offending is said to have taken place between 2005 and 2013.
Former Rodney District Councillor and current Auckland Councillor, John Watson, says there will be a lot of people in the former Rodney and Hibiscus Coast communities who will follow this trial with interest.
“Given the nature of the charges and the specific allegations made, there will also be considerable interest in seeing how far into the Rodney Council organisational structure this investigation actually extended,” he says.
Projenz was set-up in 1997 by Mr Borlase. The company provided engineering services and had supply contracts with Rodney until the council was de-established in October 2010. It then had contracts with Auckland Transport in relation to the maintenance and renewal of the roading network in the region.
Mr George was employed as an engineer at Rodney from 1974 and then as a senior manager at Rodney District Council and Auckland Transport where he was responsible for leading the delivery of maintenance and renewal works until 2013.
If found guilty of the Crimes Act charges of corruption and bribery of an official, the defendants could face prison terms of up to seven years.
