Five men sentenced for bribery and corruption that resulted in a loss of over £400,000

Five men have been sentenced today (9 November 2023) over waste disposal contracts that resulted in losses of around £417,000 to Cardiff City Council.

Andrew Barnett, 54, was found guilty of bribery offences at Cardiff Crown Court and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment .

Warren Roberts, 54, Cesario DeAbreu, 33, Joshua Hayman, 33, had pleaded guilty to charges of bribery at an earlier hearing in May 2022 and they were sentenced to 28 months' imprisonment, 22 months' imprisonment, 9 months' imprisonment suspended for 12 months respectively. Anthony Miles, 55 pleaded guilty to charges of bribery at a hearing in June 2023 was sentenced to 14 months suspended for 12 months.

The case centres around Warren Roberts, the controller of a sole trading waste disposal company named A&T Waste Management, paying bribes to Cardiff Council staff operating the weighbridge (large scales used in the waste industry to weigh vehicles and measure the amount of material they are carrying) and sorting waste at Bessemer Close, Cardiff.

These offences came to the attention of Cardiff City Council after a whistle blower alleged corruption within the Waste Management Division. South Wales Police investigated the case and the CPS reviewed evidence subsequently gathered and sought the permission of the Director of Public Prosecutions to bring this case to trial. It became apparent that A&T, one of the council’s largest commercial customers in waste, were engaged in corrupt practices with waste deposited by A&T being deliberately misrepresented. As a result, A&T were saving significant operating costs through reduced tipping fees. In return for their assistance in undercharging A & T, four Cardiff Council staff were paid cash bribes by Roberts.

As a result, Cardiff Council lost around £417,000 in tipping fees and A&T, run by Roberts, benefitted to the tune of £238,000. It is estimated that around £175,000 in bribes were paid to the council staff.

Alistair Dickson of the CPS said: “Bribery of officials damages public trust in the system of local government and undermines council finances. These counsel workers exploited their position of trust to line their own pockets.

“Waste management is an important council service used to protect the local environment and should not be manipulated by customers and council employees for criminal gain.

“We would like to thank Cardiff City Council and South Wales for all their work on this case.”

The CPS is committed to continuing to work closely with law enforcement and investigatory authorities to bring individuals and companies engaging in corrupt practices.