Three Keltbray managers and the owner of Tony Demolition Workers are under investigation for bribery
Southwark Crown Court found Arben Hysa, owner of Tony Demolition Workers Ltd, was found guilty of bribing the three managers.
The bribes took place between 2012 and 2018, totalling over £600,000.
The bribery caused Tony Demolition Workers to benefit from £15m in specialist contracts
The three managers involved, Michael McCarthy, Simon Lacey, and John Burke, have been found guilty of receiving bribes in order to give preference to Tony Demolition Workers for specialist labour contracts.
Hysa is found guilty of six counts of bribery, whereas Lacey, McCarthy, and Burke are found guilty of two counts each of accepting bribes.
Andrew Cant from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “Corruption in the construction industry distorts competition between companies and makes the UK a less attractive marketplace for domestic and foreign investors. 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. Williams, a solicitor, allowed her bank account to be used by Burke to receive the bribes.
“The CPS will now commence confiscation proceedings in order to reclaim the ill-gotten gains of the defendants’ crimes.”
A crackdown in construction crime?
Earlier this month, HMRC and Kent Police concluded an investigation into, and prosecution of a construction tax fraud ring, convicting seven members on various charges.
The group would systematically withhold tax money (VAT) from HMRC, making agreements with construction and logistics companies acting as fronts to divert the money.
Over time, the group was found to have profited £22m in unpaid tax, as well as a further £2m from supporting a large-scale drug supply operation in the south east of the UK.
One member, Phillip Bailey, was also under investigation for firearms, theft, and money laundering offences when the ring was discovered, and the rest of the ring were gradually identified from there.
At the time, constable Dameon Shaw, lead detective on the investigation, said: “These criminals set up and ran a large-scale operation designed to steal VAT and CIS payments, which were then paid out to themselves and criminal associates. They are now paying the price for their actions with the sentences handed out by the court today.
“Tax fraud is not a victimless crime; the public rely on the revenue generated by tax to fund essential services. No matter how hard they tried to conceal their illicit gains, our expert investigators were able to unravel their web of lies.”
