THREE men have been jailed for bribery following an investigation into corrupt activity at a waste management facility costing a major city council hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Two other men received suspended prison sentences for their part in the corruption.
The illegal activity resulted in losses of around £417,000 to Cardiff City Council and took place at Bessemer Close Commercial Recycling Centre, a waste management facility run by the council.
The activity came to Cardiff Council’s attention in March 2017 when a whistle-blower alleged corruption within the Waste Management Division.
It was alleged that Warren Roberts, 54, the controller of waste disposal company A&T Waste Management, was paying bribes to Cardiff Council staff to misrepresent the type or amount of waste being deposited at the site to reduce A&T’s billed amount.
As a result, A&T were saving a significant amount of money in their operating costs in the form of tipping fees.
In return staff were being paid cash for their participation in the offence.
On the day of his arrest, around £40,000 in cash was recovered from Roberts’ home address, with further cash seized from the other defendants’ home addresses.
Andrew Barnett, 54, of Hastings Close, Penarth, was found guilty of bribery offences and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
Roberts, of Cardiff, and Cesario DeAbreu, 33, also of Cardiff, had pleaded guilty to charges of bribery and they were sentenced to 28 months' imprisonment and 22 months' imprisonment respectively.
Joshua Hayman, 33, of Tredegar, and Anthony Miles, 55, of Llwyn Passat, Penarth, pleaded guilty to charges of bribery and were sentenced to nine months' imprisonment suspended for 12 months and 14 months suspended for 12 months respectively.
Detective Constable Joseph Lewis, from South Wales Police, said the men sought to enrich themselves at the expense of the tax payer.
“The defendants showed staggering levels of dishonesty in exploiting their positions of trust to deprive Cardiff Council of significant income,” said DC Lewis.
“All presented themselves as legitimate hardworking council employees however the investigation identified an entirely different picture.”
DC Lewis added: “Between November 2016 and February 2018, the five men sought to enrich themselves at the expense of Cardiff Council and taxpayers.
“These convictions, believed to be the first obtained by South Wales Police under the Bribery Act, and prison sentences, should serve as a strong deterrent to anyone seeking to engage in corrupt activity.”
All five men were sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on Thursday, November 9.
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