A senior NSW Health manager fabricated qualifications, including a doctorate, and used false references to secure a string of well-paid public sector jobs over more than a decade, a corruption watchdog has found.
The New South Wales (NSW) Independent Commission Against Corruption has released its report (pdf) into former Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District director of engineering and asset management Zoran Ribicic, finding he engaged in serious corrupt conduct.
It will refer its evidence to the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions over possible fraud offences.
The Commission found that between 2012 and 2025, Ribicic falsely claimed to hold a doctorate in business administration, a master’s degree in project management, a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a TAFE engineering diploma, using false references to support his claims.
He went on to secure roles at Transport for NSW, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD), the Port Authority and Penrith City Council, none of which uncovered the deception.
After joining NSW Health, Ribicic engaged his sister’s company, Risk Control Consulting, to carry out work.
The company received more than $275,000 (US$198,000) between March 2022 and July 2024, while Ribicic managed the engagement and approval process and concealed the conflict of interest.
Ribicic was found to have circumvented procurement controls through a practice known as order splitting.
Authorised to approve quotes only up to $30,000, he asked favoured suppliers to split their invoices into multiple smaller amounts below the threshold, allowing him to avoid the competitive tendering and oversight that would otherwise have applied.
The Commission also found that Ribicic failed to declare secondary employment while working full-time in his senior public role, receiving $210,375 over 10 months from a private company he had previously hired as a consultant for ISLHD.
ICAC Commissioner Helen Murrell said the case showed how a determined and dishonest individual could exploit weaknesses in recruitment and procurement systems across the public service.
“By falsely claiming qualifications he did not possess, he secured a position of significant responsibility and public trust,” she said.
“When an agency hires an unqualified person who has dishonestly maintained they hold qualifications that they do not, it should come as no surprise that, once in the job, the person may perform the role dishonestly and/or incompetently.
“It is an understatement to say that public confidence could be impaired by the recruitment of unqualified and dishonest people.”
Murrell said the lessons extended well beyond the one agency at the centre of the investigation.
“Verifying qualifications, effectively managing conflicts of interest, maintaining strong procurement oversight and monitoring for undeclared secondary employment are critical safeguards for any organisation entrusted with public resources,” she said.
The Commission has made nine recommendations to strengthen recruitment, conflict of interest management, and procurement practices across the public sector, including stronger verification of qualifications, tighter procurement oversight, wider use of data analytics to flag unusual spending patterns, and improved governance of consultants.
While the exact number of public servants investigated by the Commission in 2026 is not publicly available, it has named at least seven prominent public servants and officials across several major operations released in 2026 to date.
In April this year, it found the former CEO of the state’s school infrastructure agency had diverted millions of dollars in public funds to benefit friends and associates, in what the agency described as “a clear case of cronyism.”
Others named as being under investigation include the chief governance officer, and the chancellor of the University of Wollongong, along with other staff and contractors; the former chief executive officer and council staff at Parramatta Council; and employees and contractors at Transport for NSW.
