Council contractor pleads guilty

A former police officer has pleaded guilty to corruption and misconduct offences over his dealings with a southeast Queensland council and Racing Queensland, including offering an “audacious” $1.5 million bribe.

AN Ipswich council contractor has pleaded guilty to entering corrupt deals, including offering an “audacious” $1.5 million bribe.

Ex-NSW police officer Wayne Innes, 59, today pleaded guilty to charges including corruption, misconduct and multiple counts of fraud in the Brisbane District Court.

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Ipswich Council contractor Wayne Innes in court

Innes was charged by the Crime and Corruption Commission in late 2017 as part of its Operation Windage probe into corrupt dealings at Ipswich City Council.

Ipswich City Council contractor Wayne Francis Innes arrives at the Brisbane District Court for sentencing today. Picture: AAP/Glenn Hunt

Prosecutors told the court today that Innes had two separate episodes of corrupt dealings with Ipswich council officials.

The first was between June 2014 and November 2015 and the second between August 2016 and September 2017.

One of the deals involved Ipswich council chief executive officer Carl Wulff and businessman Wayne Myers.

Wulff, 66, was sentenced to five years’ jail in February for official corruption, while Myers was sentenced to 2.5 years over the dealings.

It involved work given to Innes’ landfill business.

Carl Wulff was sentenced to five years’ jail in February for official corruption. Picture: AAP/Jono Searle

Myers was a friend of a former Ipswich mayor and then later came to know Wulff. Innes had struck a deal with Myers where he would pay 30 per cent of the profits from any work he received through council in exchange for Myers “greasing the wheels”.

Twenty-five invoices were issued under the corrupt deal and about $523,000 was paid.

Innes had turned informant against Myers and Wulff when the CCC began investigating in October 2016 and had worn a wire to record a covert conversation, the court heard.

The deal also involved Wulff’s wife Sharon Oxenbridge, who was sentenced to three years’ prison for facilitating payments through a faulty consultancy arrangement.

The court heard Innes also had corrupt dealings with another Ipswich council chief executive Jim Lindsay, who replaced Wulff.

The court heard the pair had a “mutual interest in horse racing”.

Wayne Myers was sentenced to 2.5 years over the dealings. Picture: AAP/Jono Searle

Innes also had a longstanding gambling addiction that dated back to after his discharge from the NSW police service on medical grounds.

Innes asked Lindsay, who is also facing a corruption charge, to “exert influence over council” in an attempt to obtain a material change of use over land he had an interest in.

It resulted in a “significant windfall” from a $9 million investment, the court heard.

In return for his assistance, Innes would host Lindsay at horse racing events and provide him a betting account.

An “audacious” offer of a $1.5 million bribe to Lindsay was also discussed as part of the deal to progress the planning application, which was to be laundered through a betting account, according to crown prosecutors.

Ipswich City Council contractor Wayne Francis Innes outside Brisbane Magistrates Court in September 2017. Picture: AAP/Sarah Motherwell

But the arrangement faltered when equity investors pulled out and the CCC’s Ipswich probe became public.

“He exploited business and person relationships with corrupt public officials who held senior positions in the organisations with whom he dealt,” the prosecution told the court.

Innes’ defence counsel argued Innes was not the public official who held the position of trust and had a “troubled” upbringing, where he was exposed to problems of alcoholism and gambling. It was also argued Innes had not made large profits from the offending and his business had gone into liquidation.

“In effect, he was chasing his tail (regarding finances),” Innes’ lawyer told the court.

The matter has been adjourned until later this week.