![]() No money ended up being paid by RJS Infrastructure to Downer for such a party because search warrants were executed by ICAC at Mr Cox’s and Mr Nguyen’s residences on December 2, 2020. He told ICAC that RJS Infrastructure wanted Downer to respond to its claims for so-called “progress payments” before paying the contractor any money for a Christmas party. ![]() Mr Cox agreed that he and Mr Nguyen had discussed if they could include the cost of the requested Christmas party into a variation invoice to be submitted to Downer for work on Wollstonecraft station. Mr Cox testified that the “Andrew” referred to during the call was former Downer project manager Andrew Gayed and said that he had not previously in his career been asked to pay for clients’ Christmas parties. During the call, Mr Cox described the suggestion as “a joke.” ICAC on Monday heard a recording of a telephone call that took place in late 2020 between Mr Cox and Mr Nguyen, who discussed suggestions by “Andrew” that RJS Infrastructure put on a Christmas party on a yacht for 40 Downer employees. Mr Watters subsequently testified that the allegations were false, he was not paid a bribe, and was not given cash as Mr Cox asserted. Mr Cox has previously testified before ICAC that he paid a cash bribe of thousands of dollars to former Downer project manager Kevin Watters to help RJS Infrastructure win work on projects. Mr Cox subsequently became a shareholder in RJS Infrastructure, which was established by former Inner West Council project engineer Tony Nguyen. It was hired by RJS Infrastructure in 2019 to work on the Lithgow train station project managed by Downer. Mr Cox, who has worked for several engineering firms during his career including Chinese-owned John Holland and France’s Bouygues, set up his own firm, Marble Arch, in 2018. It was the case in all walks of life that if somebody had a positive opinion towards a particular company, “then they will push their case,” Mr Cox testified.Īsked whether he could have instead got positive opinions through ability and hard work, Mr Cox said that the work had to be secured first. Mr Cox said in evidence that he didn’t think RJS Infrastructure would have got “a proper crack” at jobs without help and that there “seemed to be a bit of favouritism” towards some companies. Mr Cox was asked by counsel assisting ICAC Phillip English why he thought he needed someone “on the inside corrupting the tender process” to help the company, RJS Infrastructure, get work on taxpayer-funded projects. ![]() ![]() An engineer who has testified to paying cash bribes to secure work on rail projects managed by contractor Downer EDI has told a NSW corruption inquiry that he wanted inside help to win work because there “seemed to be a bit of favouritism”.Īidan Cox, who was a 50 per cent shareholder in a company set up to tender for building work on NSW rail stations, told the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Monday that obtaining budgets and competitive pricing information put the company in the best position possible to win contracts.Įngineer Aidan Cox, a shareholder in RJS Infrastructure, testified before ICAC on Monday. ![]()
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