‘অর্থের নিচে ঠেলে দেওয়া’: ঊর্ধ্বতন সরকারি কর্মকর্তা ‘দুর্নীতিগ্রস্ত’ লক্ষাধিক লোকের বিরুদ্ধে বাঁশি বাজিয়েছেন
“It was an environment that we enabled, essentially, by pouring money into broken contracts and services. I had an ethical problem with that, and I still do.” Elias alleges that while overseeing contract renewals in mid-2021, he identified $16 million of taxpayer dollars being paid to Canstruct for services that were either non-existent or unnecessary. He suspects the company of billions of dollars in overbilling. Officials say this has recently provided critical evidence in an ongoing Federal Police corruption probe into Canstruct. The investigation, code-named Barney-Beveridge, is examining whether Canstruct billed the Home Office millions of dollars to pay insurance premiums that were used to insure fast cars, edifices, expensive art and yachts. Elias claims Canstruct pressured the Home Office to pay millions of dollars in insurance premiums. “I remember Canstruct making it very clear to me in person in the hallway during final negotiations that they were negotiating for a lot of things, but not insurance.” Brett Whiteley’s 44 year old self-portrait is one of the artworks alleged to have been insured. He said he was “incredibly conflicted” by allegations of misappropriated funds and claimed he was incentivised to do it. “There was a very strong culture within Home Affairs at the time that questioning the decisions to continue operations on Nauru would not be beneficial for employment. “You had to keep quiet about your concerns. Absolutely.” Elias’ visibility on alleged Home Office contract dealings ceased in 2021, but his decision to go public amid growing scrutiny of a separate migration deal with Nauru has seen the Albanese government facing questions. Arthur Boyd’s The Old Mine is among the artworks said to have been insured. The tiny country recently agreed to house more than one hundred dangerous detainees. Australia’s so-called NZYQ are being given, who have for 30 years been funded by Australian taxpayers to the tune of $2.5 billion in exchange, Saturday, another whistleblower, former Australian soldier Oisin Donohoe, exposed how millions of dollars had been funnelled through this company for security, describing the situation as “infuriating,” Donohoe said. He previously served as a rifleman in the Australian Army for nearly five years. He described it as “astounding” that a bicycle could be “part of a contract in the stewardship of a critical national security item”. A 2024 review by former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson into offshore processing has raised similar concerns to Elias about the Home Office’s failure to safeguard public funds on Nauru in relation to the offshore processing regime. The Albainese government said that the NZYQ deal in Nauru’s offshore processing arrangement has resulted in a raft of departmental reforms aimed at improving due diligence around offshore migration arrangements, Richardson’s review resulting in enhanced controls on ongoing offshore processing projects for approximately 100 asylum seekers. However, documents provided to this masthead show illicit activities, including the artificial inflation of sub-contracts, continued under the watchful eye of rent-seeking companies. MTC replaced Nauru Elias to run offshore processing instead of Canstruct said he believes the circulation of Australian money continues at pace, and that he has wrestled with the idea of being a public whistleblower for years. “I think it’s really important to know. A similar Aston Martin Superleggera that they claim were insured.” “We were propping up a system that couldn’t be explained. We were paying for something that didn’t happen.” He was unfairly attacked by his employer for wrongfully alleging it. “I’m really, really sick of it,” he said. “I don’t think I did anything wrong. Why should I apologise or feel guilty for pointing out that we spent money that we shouldn’t have and it went to people who put it in their own pockets?” Elias claimed in the interview that it was an open secret within the Home Affairs Department that corrupt Nauruan officials were attempting to profit from foreign migration deals funded by Australian taxpayers. “Canstruct had very close relationships with the Nauruan government, providing extra services and perks and sweeteners, and the payments they made to the Nauruan government were quite appalling,” he said. A sordid history of corruption allegations. Australia’s security agency had previously warned the federal government in 2020 that it had pocketed kickbacks paid by a company subcontracted to run Australia’s offshore processing regime in Nauru. According to intelligence briefing shared with federal government agencies and senior ministers, Aden was also accused of using Australian banks to launder funds he would use to run offshore processing. Home Secretary Tony Burke declined a request for an interview, but the Home Office said in a statement that offshore processing arrangements were carefully managed and contained. “Robust” due diligence. “Suppliers must meet the ethical, performance and due diligence standards expected of a supplier of the Commonwealth, and the ability and capacity to supply and perform in accordance with the terms of the contract contract.” Canstruct did not respond to a request for comment, but has previously declined to comment on the allegations being investigated by the AFP.
প্রকাশিত: 2025-11-09 15:20:00
উৎস: www.smh.com.au
