5 Sep 2013

Auckland Transport manager sacked as inquiry continues

10:55 pm on 5 September 2013

A senior manager at Auckland Transport has been fired as part of an investigation into the possible misuse of public money.

The staff member was placed on indefinite leave early last month after the issue came to light during an internal review.

The council-owned agency's chief executive, David Warburton, says an ongoing investigation has found serious conflict of interest and performance problems relating to the staff member.

The agency says the investigation relates to its road corridor maintenance business, which looks after more than 7,000km of the region's roads.

It says other staff are being interviewed and forensic accountants from PricewaterhouseCoopers are helping with the investigation.

Mr Warburton says the inquiry should be completed within weeks, and the agency is keeping both the Serious Fraud Office and the Auditor-General informed.