Former CBA IT executive charged with bribery

A former Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) IT executive has been arrested and charged with bribery after it was alleged that the man gave a lucrative contract to a US IT company without putting it to public tender.

The 61-year-old United States citizen has been charged with two counts of bribery by the NSW Fraud and Cybercrime Squad.

NSW Police said they were contacted by CBA earlier in 2015 after internal investigations uncovered some suspicious payments had been deposited into the bank accounts of two senior IT staff, both Sydney-based US nationals.

In the Central Local Court today, detectives will allege that two of the bank’s now former employees were involved in a corrupt relationship with a now publicly-listed US IT provider.

According to police, the two former staff members granted the IT company a contract without putting it to public tender. In exchange, the managers allegedly received payments of over $US1.5 million. These payments have been frozen by NSW Fraud and Cybercrime Squad officers.

The investigation — dubbed Strike Force Drawl — is ongoing as police want to speak to another former CBA senior IT manager who is overseas. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is helping with inquiries.

A CBA spokesperson confirmed that a former executive is appearing in court this morning.

“CBA reported this matter to the NSW Police and we will continue to fully cooperate while the investigation continues,” said the spokesperson.

“We have no tolerance for any illegal activity by any employee and we take every situation seriously. We confirm that no customer has been affected by this matter. It is not appropriate to comment further while this matter is before the court.”

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