By Linton Besser Transport Reporter
A RAILCORP team leader broke down in tears before the Independent Commission Against Corruption yesterday, then railed against his "public execution" after finally admitting taking cash payments from contractors.
After several days of denials, George Laidlaw told the inquiry that one contractor, whose name was suppressed, had regularly paid him $100 to $300 a week to receive work.
"[He] is old school," he said. "He has been around for 20-odd years, and that's what used to happen every day."
Last week counsel assisting the inquiry, Chris Ronalds, SC, accused Mr Laidlaw of taking so much cash that he had to hide it around the house and launder it by posting it to his mother in Britain - an allegation he denied.
In the face of his admission yesterday, she asked: "What did you do with the money?"
"I used to keep it," he said.
He also said he regularly asked for about $500 from as many as six individual contractors to pay for "send offs" and annual golf days. "The contractors see that as part of the job?" Ms Ronalds asked.
"That's correct," Mr Laidlaw said.
The inquiry heard other phone taps that showed Mr Laidlaw, concerned about the progress of the ICAC inquiry, organising secret meetings with his team to ensure they gave consistent accounts to investigators.
In one such conversation with Ljucpe (Louis) Petrovski, he says: "I'll tell you face to face, but it's a bigger problem than what you ever know about, mate."
Ms Ronalds pressed him for details. She said the commission had tapped his phone that day and overheard him asking that a warning be passed to the contractor he named as having paid bribes. "You were warning him so he could make up the story as much as you because there has been lots more cash paid to you by contractors," she said. He denied the allegation and said: "I'm doing my best to not tell lies."
"The reason I rang him [is] I don't want anybody's missus to go through what my missus has gone through. She's lost nearly seven kilograms in a week," he said, breaking into tears.
"It is not nice watching people like that. And my kids - my kids have never done anything. Public executions were done away with years ago in this country. Every day on the train, every day outside my house she has got to go through this, and it is not right. I'm not a multi-millionaire."
Earlier yesterday Laze Kotevski - who admitted falsifying motel receipts and stealing RailCorp copper - was recalled to explain his return to work after giving that testimony.
Ms Ronalds asked what had happened to the latest pile of copper he said they had collected but not yet sold.
"Put them in a [backhoe] bucket, take it up where deep yard is in the compound, dig a hole, and bury it," Mr Kotevski said.
"Why did you do that?" Ms Ronalds asked.
"Because I don't want to start it - that's enough trouble. If you want it, you can open up, dig the hole."
