Grant Thornton, MinterEllison in CCC report

Corporate accounting and legal giants Grant Thornton and MinterEllison have been named in a Corruption and Crime Commission report into further serious misconduct inside the Department of Communities.

Long-term employee of the department, Kerry Ravi and consultant Maria Irdi, were found to have favoured the two companies when allocating more than $7 million worth of work through a Value for Money Efficiency Project.

In return, the CCC said the pair received expensive gifts and hospitality.

"The two women received benefits for themselves provided by the accounting and consulting firm and legal firm, including hospitality at high-end Perth restaurants," the CCC report said. "Other benefits included alcohol, flowers, corporate box football and tennis tickets, international basketball game tickets, expensive glassware at Christmas time and spa vouchers.

"None were declared as required. While the dollar value of the hospitality was not huge, the conflict in accepting hospitality and not declaring it is evident.

"Referral of work was presented as a personal favour. It was not the result of impartial competition, because Mrs Ravi and Ms Irdi breached procurement policy in ways that favoured the two firms."

Telephone intercepts, text messages and emails found the duo had frequently breached procurement rules by disclosing competitors' pricing information.

"The firms worked with Mrs Ravi and Ms Irdi to maximise the personal benefits Mrs Ravi and Ms Irdi gained from interstate travel, which was sometimes paid for by the two firms," the CCC said. 

"A job at Grant Thornton for a close family member of Mrs Ravi was procured on the strength of the relationship with Grant Thornton."

Mrs Ravi, according to the corruption agency, "engaged in serious misconduct over a number of years" by working to "corruptly procure benefits".

But because Mrs Irdi was a contractor, and not technically a public officer, the CCC said it was unable to form an opinion about her conduct.

In one email, Ms Irdi wrote to a Minter Ellison partner, Matthew Missaghi.

"How much do you love ussssss our little Persian prince. We thought it might be nice to catch up with Paul (Whyte) when you are here," the email read.

"So we locked in 30 mins tomorrow at 3pm. Mate, you really need to pump up Kerrys and mine tyres…Make @@@@ up, but pls do it… We owe you."

Since the latest CCC investigation, which follows the jailing of former communities deputy director general Paul Whyte for stealing more than $22 million, the beleaguered department has changed its operations to reduce risk.

"Both the accounting firm and the law firm have conducted investigations in relation to the events mentioned in the commission’s report, which have resulted in some personnel ceasing work at those firms," the CCC report said.

"Those firms and their personnel are not ‘public officers’ within the Act. The commission is not therefore in a position to make findings of serious misconduct in respect of their conduct and does not do so."