黑洞社区

Three former Keltbray employees found guilty of receiving bribes from a labour agency have been sentenced to a total of more than nine years in prison.

The bribes totalled more than 拢600,000 and were paid between 2012 and 2018, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

Keltbray managers Michael McCarthy, Simon Lacey and John Burke were convicted last month of receiving the bribes while Arben Hysa was also convicted of bribing the three during the period which saw his company, London-based Tony Demolition Workers Ltd, benefit from Keltbray specialist labour contracts worth 拢15m.

At Southwark Crown Court yesterday, McCarthy, 64, and Burke, 56, were both sentenced to three and half years imprisonment while Lacey, 53, was sentenced to two years imprisonment. All three had earlier been found guilty of one count of bribery.

Hysa, 56, who was found guilty of three counts of bribery, was handed a sentence of three and a half years.

Specialist prosecutor Andrew Cant said: 鈥淢cCarthy, Lacey, and Burke ignored the rules in respect of their obligation to act in the interests of their employer Keltbray when dealing with external contractors by accepting significant sums of money from Arben Hysa.鈥� He added the CPS was now trying to recover the money paid to three through compensation proceedings.

In a statement, Keltbray said: 鈥淜eltbray firmly welcomes the decisive outcome and the clear message it sends about accountability and justice.

鈥淜eltbray was a direct victim of these individuals鈥� serious breaches of trust during their employment between 2012 and 2018. Their actions were a gross violation of the responsibilities entrusted to them, and we are dismayed by their misconduct.

鈥淜eltbray fully supported the authorities throughout the extensive investigation and judicial process, and the severity of the sentences rightly reflects the gravity of their offences. Keltbray thanks the CPS for their action in this case.

鈥淭his verdict upholds the principles enshrined in Keltbray鈥檚 Code of Conduct and demonstrates the critical importance of our zero-tolerance approach, including the immediate dismissal of those involved at the time. We are resolute in continuing our commitment to promoting the highest standards of integrity, ethics, and professionalism across every part of our organisation.鈥�