The whole industry is dodgy as fuck before this a transport officer for main roads on the gold coast was caught restamping engine and body numbers on exotic stolen cars and then transporting them to the UK.
A Queensland Transport inspector has been sentenced to seven years jail over his role in a scam providing bogus safety certificates to car dealers.
A Queensland Transport inspector has been sentenced to seven years jail over his role in a scam providing bogus safety certificates to car dealers.
The District Court on Friday was told Edward Cornelius Moran, 48, of Bray Park in Brisbane's north, played a pivotal role in the elaborate scheme, which netted more than $123,000 through distributing 3,217 fake vehicle safety certificates.
Judge Gary Forno imposed a head sentence of seven years and set Moran's parole eligibility date for April 4, 2010.
A jury last month found Moran guilty of three counts of corruption and three counts of fraud for exploiting his position with Queensland Transport to help others involved in the scam between October 2002 to July 2003.
Moran was instrumental in helping his co-accused set up three Brisbane inspection stations and gain permits to issue safety certificates.
Judge Forno said a "serious feature" was the risk posed to motorists buying and using vehicles not genuinely deemed safe nor properly checked for defects.
He also said Moran's punishment was designed to deter "widespread corruption" seen in government departments in recent times.
"A significant aggravating feature in your case was that without the assistance of a person in your position with Queensland Transport, the criminal scheme simply would not operate," Judge Forno said.
Moran pocketed more than $45,000 from the scheme.
Meanwhile, Queensland Transport has forked out about $581,000 rectifying wrongdoing through its investigations of the fake certificates.
The scheme involved at least four other men who have already been prosecuted for their roles working from inspection stations in the Brisbane suburbs of Stafford, Springwood and Seventeen Mile Rocks.
Moran helped two of his fellow conspirators short-cut the system and gain permits to grant certificates.
Judge Forno said Moran's enthusiasm for the scam saw a third permit issued under the name of a dead man whose name he plucked from the death notices of a newspaper.
Judge Forno said while Moran was not the brainchild of the scheme, he "wholeheartedly" embraced it either due to greed or because he was disgruntled with his employer's perceived indifference while he suffered a back injury.
Prosecutor Glen Cash said it was "rather good luck than good management" no one had appeared to have been injured in a car crash due to unroadworthiness stemming from the scam.
Defence barrister Tony Entriken said prison would be difficult for his client because he suffered post-traumatic stress, resulting from his time as a paramedic with the Queensland Ambulance Service.
He also suffered type-two diabetes, sleep apnea and spinal damage.
Mr Entriken said Moran - a married man with three children - had strong family values, liked to "help others" and had greatly contributed to society.
He said his client felt "intense shame" as a result of his criminal activities that had ruined his good name and reputation.
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