Wife of accused Sydney Uni IT fraudster admits lying to ICAC

The wife of a former Sydney University IT executive accused of channelling work through a business the pair part-owned has pleaded guilty to lying to ICAC about her role in the scheme.

Virginia Kantarzis worked for IT labour hire firm Succuro Recruitment at the same time as her husband, Atilla ‘Todd’ Demiralay, sent $1.58 million worth of work through the firm in his capacity as desktop services manager and ICT field services manager at the university.

In October 2012, the Independent Commission Against Corruption found that Demiralay never disclosed his wife’s employment prior to signing off on the deals, nor did he let the university know that they both held shares in the company.

At the end of its investigation, ICAC asked the NSW Department of Public Prosecutions to look into trying the couple for misleading the Commission – a crime punishable by up to five years imprisonment.

It said Kantarzis had wilfully misled the Commission by claiming she was never directly involved in the work Succuro did for Sydney University, despite it being Succuro's sole client from 2008 onwards. 

The Commission also said Kantarzis had been deceptive in claiming to have been unaware of being appointed director and secretary of Succro in 2008, blaming 'baby brain' and a separate trading name for her confusion.

The case against Kantarzis was heard in the Downing Centre late last month. She plead guilty and is set to be sentenced before Christmas.

The charges against her husband will be relisted for hearing after that date.