Highlights
- Kamaljeet Kaur Gill worked in an administrative role at Victoria University
- She is convicted of misappropriating over $650,000 of university funds
- Ms Gill pleaded guilty, sentenced to jail for three years and six months
The Melbourne County Court sentenced Ms Gill to three-and-a-half years of imprisonment on March 27 for misappropriation of over $650,000 from Victoria University.
Ms Gill was prosecuted by the Office of Public Prosecutions after an investigation by Victoria’s public sector corruption and police misconduct watchdog, the Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC).
An IBAC spokesperson told SBS Punjabi that this investigation, which was codenamed ‘Operation Franklin’, started on 27 November 2018.
Ms Gill was charged with one count of Misconduct in Public Office by IBAC on 1 March 2019. Additional charges were laid against Ms Gill on 8 May 2019, the spokesperson added.
Operation Franklin revealed that Ms Gill had misappropriated Victoria University’s funds to purchase 198 EFTPOS gift cards worth $614,261.50 and submitted falsified invoices via a university procurement system.
In addition, 102 Coles Myer gift cards to the tune of $36,650 that belonged to the university, were also stolen by Ms Gill.
She pleaded guilty to the offences of misconduct in public office and obtaining property by deception and theft.
The spokesperson further said that IBAC’s exposure of this case helps to inform the public sector, including universities, and the community about the risks and impacts of corrupt conduct, and to encourage reporting of suspected corruption.
Anyone with credible information about suspected corruption in the Victorian public sector is encouraged to contact IBAC at www.ibac.vic.gov.au/report or 1300 735 135.
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