The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has charged a former employee of Western Sydney Airport (WSA) with allegedly soliciting a $200,000 bribe. The arrest was made by the Australian Federal Police on Wednesday, with the individual identified as Sajish Erasery.
Erasery is accused of requesting the bribe during negotiations for a $5 million contract at WSA, which is currently under construction. He has been granted bail and will appear in court on April 18. Under New South Wales criminal law, the penalty for such an offense could be up to seven years in prison.
The NACC has emphasized the importance of publicizing this charge to highlight the potential for corruption in high-value procurements within the Commonwealth sector. The commission commended WSA for its cooperation in referring the matter to the NACC and the AFP, which facilitated the investigation.
In addition to this case, the NACC has inherited three other corruption cases from its predecessor, the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI). One of these cases resulted in the conviction of Wenfeng Wei, a former Australian Taxation Office employee who received a five-year prison sentence for accepting bribes.
The NACC currently has 15 ongoing corruption investigations and has received over 2,700 complaints since its inception on July 1. Of these complaints, more than 2,000 were dismissed as they did not involve Commonwealth public officials or raise corruption concerns. Three cases are currently under consideration for charges by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.