Two former Transclean executives, including George Haritos, were sentenced to two years and three months in prison for conspiracy to give secret commissions and related offenses, with Haritos tied to kickbacks involving a former Metro Trains official.

The judge called the conduct corrosive to public trust, describing a metastatic pattern that undermines honest contracting and the allocation of public funds.

The kickbacks were linked to a May 2018 contract worth over $40 million for cleaning trains and stations, influencing decisions through 2020.

Pinder, a permanent resident, faces potential deportation to the United Kingdom after release.

Pinder secretly received about $330,000, including a $100,000 home-deposit loan; additional funds were wired after a loan application was rejected.

A proposed 2020 plan, described as a tripartite corruption scheme, aimed to sabotage a rival’s cleaning-product test.

Co-director Alex Kyritsis and colleagues Steven Kyritsis and Maria Tsakopoulos received non-custodial or community-based sentences for their roles in the scheme.

Former Victoria regional rail chief executive James Pinder was jailed for two years and eight months for misconduct of public office linked to a large-scale cleaning contract worth over $54 million.

Evidence showed Haritos filmed himself placing a $10,000 cash bundle into Pinder’s car, with additional secret commissions routed through Alex and Steven Kyritsis.

Offences spanned April 2018 to August 2020, involving tendering and procurement between V/Line and Metro, culminating in the Transclean contract award.

Six individuals connected by family, friendship, or professional ties were implicated in the contracting corruption.

Pinder did not disclose his friendship with Transclean founder George Haritos and received about $330,000 in payments, including a $10,000 envelope and funds toward a $2.5 million home.