A RailCorp contractor called his boss pretending to be at a job site while he was enjoying an eight-hour "lunch" session in a Sydney strip club, an inquiry has been told.
Brett Schliebs filled in his RailCorp timesheet for July 19 last year claiming to have worked that day at Sandown, in western Sydney.
Instead, he took the day off to visit Twin Peeks Lingerie Restaurant in the city, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry heard Wednesday.
Mr Schliebs worked for RailCorp for 23 years before resigning in January last year amid an investigation into timesheet fraud, but he later returned as a contractor despite his file being stamped as unfit for re-employment.
ICAC mobile phone intercepts caught him spending the afternoon of July 19 at the Woolloomooloo strip club.
One call was made to his supervisor Jose Argueta, in which he gave the impression he was working at Sandown.
"The contractors aren't here yet," he told Mr Argueta during the call played to the inquiry into corrupt work practices at the NSW government corporation.
The ICAC phone intercepts show he was at the restaurant from midday until 8pm.
"You had lunch? I've not been to one, so...?" asked the counsel assisting the ICAC hearing, Chris Ronalds SC.
"Yes, there is lunch provided," Mr Schliebs replied.
After the call to Mr Argueta was played at the ICAC hearing, Mr Schliebs admitted he had lied to RailCorp in submitting the timesheet.
"What I'd suggest to you is a day spent lunching at the Twin Peeks Lingerie Restaurant does not constitute work for RailCorp, does it?" Ms Ronalds asked.
"Correct," Mr Schliebs replied.
"It was a false claim," said Ms Ronalds.
"Yes, it was," he said.
It was also revealed Mr Schliebs had twice filled out false timesheets in August, claiming pay for working at Sandown when he was visiting his accountant.
After being re-hired, Mr Schliebs worked as a track supervisor, at embankment stabilisation works at Sandown, his so-called "little holiday camp".
Ms Ronalds said his timesheets while he was working at Sandown were "littered with false claims".
"You did it consistently while you were at Sandown, didn't you, Mr Schliebs? You deliberately misrepresented your time notes, didn't you?" she asked.
"I did not deliberately do anything," he replied.
Ms Ronalds also asked Mr Schliebs about phone conversations in which he instructed other contractors to fudge work records.
He told Joseph Hilli to fabricate a name on a timesheet in order to extract extra money from RailCorp.
"Put some f***in' bodgie name on it," he is heard saying.
"Put anyone's name. I don't care."
In the same conversation he is heard telling Mr Hilli he could have completed the Sandown job in three weeks instead of the three months it took him.
"If I was railways (employed at RailCorp), this job would've been finished (in) about two weeks, three weeks," he says.
"I'm not railways. I don't care any more ... I'm stringing it out as long as possible."
ICAC Assistant Commissioner Theresa Hamilton said it appeared Mr Schliebs' rorting had cost RailCorp time and money.
"There seems to be some massive fraud," she said.
"It took three months, though you said you could have done it in three weeks.
"You were charging them to go to lingerie restaurants."
ninemsn 7 May 2008
Such heinous crime he has committed. Recommendation : PUBLIC FLOGGING !!!
This is an alleged crime that one man committed against a company. What if many companies commit a crime against many people, to the possible tune of $165,000,000.00? Documented proof and confirmed by a leading law firm, as detailed in the heading Slater and Gordon supports IBM GSA fraud http://corpau.blogspot.com/2008/05/slater-and-gordon-supports-ibm-gsa.html
Would the ICAC be interested in such a matter??
Lets give it a go and find out !!!
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