Former Department of Communities contractor Nicholas Rumenos was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment in the Perth District Court on Wednesday, after being found guilty of eight counts of Bribery of a Public Officer.

It is the third conviction stemming from the Commission’s 2022 investigation into allegations of corrupt conduct involving the awarding of Department of Communities country building projects in exchange for financial benefit.

The investigation resulted in the Commission referring the matter to WA Police for criminal investigation. A Department of Communities Senior Program Manager, Mark Ainslie, and a second contractor, Peter Haxby, previously pled guilty to multiple corruption, bribery and fraud related offences, receiving sentences of 4 years 7 months and 16 months imprisonment respectively.

Commissioner Michael Corboy SC acknowledged the efforts of the WA Police Financial Crimes Squad for their investigation of the matter and securing the convictions, the Department of Public Prosecutions in progressing these matters before the courts, and the Department of Communities in working with the Commission to identify and investigate the misconduct.

“Prosecutions arising from Commission investigations are an important means of deterring serious misconduct in the public sector. The cooperative and complimentary work of WA Police, the Department of Public Prosecutions and the Department of Communities on this matter is essential to support the Commission in our mission to strengthen the integrity of the public sector and reduce corruption,” Commissioner Corboy said.