Former Metro Trains manager Peter Bollas is under investigation by Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) for tipping off a cleaning company about a surprise COVID-19 cleaning audit during Melbourne’s deadly second coronavirus wave last year.
IBAC is holding an inquiry into alleged corrupt payments from a cleaning company to two public transport officials, including Peter Bollas and Transclean employee Steven Kyritsis.
Today’s IBAC hearing, ABC News reports, heard an intercepted phone call in which Mr Bollas gave advance warning to Transclean about a surprise COVID-19 cleaning audit.
The tapped phone call played today revealed Mr Bollas giving dates and times of the surprise cleaning audits to Transclean employee, Steven Kyritsis, and also telling him to improve their special COVID-sanitising procedure, inferring it might not be up to standard.
“The spraying needs to get better,” Mr Bollas told Mr Kyritsis on July 13, referring to the microbial spraying mandated by Metro to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus.
Transclean provided cleaning services to V/Line and Metro Trains, and last year Mr Bollas admitted to IBAC he received up to $150,000 in corrupt cash payments from Transclean.
“If you need to put an extra person on there … put a f***ing extra person and that’ll show your extra hours.
“Do not f*** it up.”
Mr Kyritsis responded by saying he had “redone all the documentation for North (Melbourne station), refilled, checked it”.
But under questioning at the IBAC hearing, Mr Kyritsis denied their cleaning was not adequate and public safety was at risk.
He also denied he had changed time sheets.
Sourced By: ABC News
