A Murdoch University manager who funnelled more than $1 million worth of work to a company set up by his wife and his close friend has been jailed for 2½ years.
Dario Pacifici was hired as the university’s facilities manager in March 2021, but was sacked 18 months later after it was revealed he had instructed staff to start using BM OnDemand Pty Ltd, a company he was secretly involved with but did not disclose.
Dario Pacifici was funnelling contracts to a company he was involved in when he worked at Murdoch Univserity,
The company earned $1.06 million for work carried out at the campus, which prompted a Corruption and Crime Commission report that alleged serious misconduct by Pacifici.
The listed directors of the company were Pacifici’s then-fiancé, now wife, Joshna Shrestha, and a high school friend.
Pacifici was arrested and charged with one count of being a public officer who acts corruptly in the performance/discharge of functions.
On Thursday, he was sentenced in the District Court of WA, with Judge Charlotte Wallace slamming Pacifici’s attempt to “minimise” his offending and telling him he was motivated by nothing but greed.
“This was deliberate, strategic, persistent, corrupt behaviour,” Wallace said.
“There was nothing momentary about the commission of this offence – sometimes corruption can be momentary, but that is not the case here. There was planning, foresight.”
The court was told Pacifici bypassed the tender process of awarding the contract to maintain the university campus, but claimed he did so “to ensure that the most reliable contractor was employed”.
