James Pinder, George Harritos: Former V/Line boss and cleaning company boss jailed for corruption

The sacked boss of Victoria’s regional rail network has been jailed for corruption after accepting kickbacks from a cleaning company.

James Pinder, 58, was jailed for two years and eight months in the County Court of Victoria on Thursday afternoon after pleading guilty to a charge of misconduct of public office.

The court was told Pinder had spent decades working for rail companies in the UK and Australia before rising to become the chief executive of V/Line in 2016.

But it was friendships and professional relationships formed during an earlier role at Metro Trains, which runs Melbourne’s train network, which would see him caught in a corruption scandal and lose his near-$500,000 taxpayer-funded salary.

In May 2018, a contract in excess of $40 million was awarded to George Haritos’ cleaning company Transclean to clean trains and train stations.

Pinder had failed to disclose his friendship with Haritos, 71, throughout his tenure.

Pinder received $330,000 in payments to “show favour to Transclean”, Judge Fiona Todd said.

This included a white envelope containing $10,000 left in his car, and $320,000 paid towards a $2.5 million Williamstown home he signed a contract to purchase in 2018.

“Between April 2018 and August 2020, six people who were connected by family, friendship or professional association worked together … to corrupt the process and award of large-scale cleaning contracts,” the judge said.

In a letter to the court, Pinder wrote the entire episode was his own making and apologised to people he’d harmed including the wider community.

“Mr Pinder you spent your working life rising to a position of public trust … and risked it all for personal gain for you and your family,” Judge Todd said.

The court was told Pinder is likely to be deported upon completion of his sentence.

Haritos’ daughters cried in court as he was jailed for two years and three months for corruption offences.

He had pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to give secret commissions and two counts of giving secret commissions.