Bank Fraud former Senior IT exec at major bank

Latest Media Releases

Former senior IT exec at major bank charged with bribery - SCC Fraud & Cybercrime Squad

Wednesday, 18 March 2015 04:35:13 AM

A former senior employee of a major bank has been arrested and charged with bribery as part of an ongoing investigation by the Fraud & Cybercrime Squad and officers from the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Early this year (2015), police were contacted by a major bank after internal investigators uncovered some suspicious payments that had been deposited into the bank accounts of two of the bank’s senior IT staff, both Sydney-based US nationals.

The matter was referred to detectives from the Fraud & Cybercrime Squad’s Corporate Corruption Unit, who formed Strike Force Drawl to investigate the case.

Yesterday (Tuesday 17 March 2015), detectives attended a residential unit in Surry Hills, where they arrested a 61-year-old man.

He was taken to the Sydney Police Centre and charged with two counts of bribery, before being refused bail to appear before Central Local Court today (Wednesday 18 March 2015).

In court, detectives will allege that two of the bank’s (now former) employees were involved in a corrupt relationship with a now publicly-listed overseas technology provider.

Police will contend that the managers granted the US-headquartered IT company a lucrative contract without putting it to public tender. In exchange, the managers allegedly received payment.

To date, more than US$1.5 million in suspected corrupt payments have been frozen by officers from the Fraud & Cybercrime Squad.

The investigation by Strike Force Drawl continues, with police particularly keen to speak to another one of the bank’s former senior IT managers, who is currently overseas. Strike Force Drawl detectives have engaged officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to assist with their inquiries.

The Commander of the Fraud & Cybercrime Squad, Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis, commended his detectives for an outstanding job.

“The officers within the Corporate Corruption Unit are relentless in the work they undertake and consistently deliver first-class investigations,” Detective Superintendent Katsogiannis said.

“I’d also like to publicly commend the staff and investigators at the bank, who have provided invaluable insight and support to detectives working this case.”

Police are urging anyone with information in relation to white-collar crime to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au/ Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. We remind people they should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.