Over £266,000 confiscated from contractors in Edinburgh bribery case

pound-money-stockTwo contractors who bribed officials at the City of Edinburgh Council have had more than £266,000 confiscated by the Crown.

Kevin Balmer, 54, and Brendan Cantwell, 46, who were co-directors of Action Building Contracts (ABC) Ltd, were found guilty of bribing council officials Charles Owenson, 62, and James Costello, 44, with cash and hospitality in exchange for maintenance and repair contracts in 2015.

Mr Balmer was jailed for two years and 10 months and Mr Cantwell for two years and three months after pleading guilty to contravention of the Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Act 1889.

Today the contractors were made subject of confiscation orders totalling £95,000 and £171,223.92 respectively.



Liam Murphy, procurator fiscal for specialist casework, said: “Balmer and Cantwell set out to corrupt those who should have been serving the people of Edinburgh, and siphoned money from the public purse into their own pockets.

“Both were imprisoned for over two years, and today our detailed forensic assessment of their financial history has ensured that they have also been stripped of all of their assets.”

The corruption involved the payment of bribes totalling over £42,000 and the provision of hospitality inducements worth over £30,000.

The council officials were treated to dances and drinks in lap dancing bars, corporate football tickets and lavish meals by builders trying to seek valuable contracts.



The two council officials they bribed were also convicted and the subject of recent confiscation orders.


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