Ibac says it has charged one Victorian Building Authority employee and 27 people involved in building registration applications
Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog has charged a further 28 people as part of its investigation into allegations the Victorian Building Authority accepted financial bribes in exchange for registering builders.
The state’s Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday afternoon announced it had charged one VBA employee and 27 people who were building registration applicants or allegedly helped facilitate building registration applications for other people.
“These charges are in addition to six people who were charged as part of Operation Perseus in 2024, including two VBA employees, two building registration applicants and two other people involved in the alleged corrupt conduct,” Ibac said in a statement.
In August, Ibac announced two VBA employees were charged with criminal offences as part of Operation Perseus after it conducted raids. The watchdog said the offences involved allegations that employees at the authority accepted bribes in exchange for registering builders.
At the time, the VBA’s chief executive, Anna Cronin, said it referred suspicious activity to Ibac in June 2023 and had supported the commission with its investigation.
The VBA confirmed Ibac was also investigating a third employee who was not charged at the time. It said employees involved had been stood down from the building authority with immediate effect.
“The VBA is now reviewing any impacts of this alleged activity to ensure the integrity of our systems,” it said in August.
The Victorian government last March appointed Cronin as the sole commissioner of the VBA and removed the regulator’s board. Cronin has previously conceded there were “significant cultural and workplace issues” at the regulator.
The 2022 suicide of a building inspector led to two independent inquires into the VBA’s workplace culture. The state government vowed to replace the regulator with a more powerful watchdog after a further inquiry, which exposed failures in handling complaints from homeowners faced with unfinished homes.
Those charged on Thursday are expected to appear at the Melbourne magistrates court on 30 January.
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