NSW Justice Dept workers 'scammed $1.3m'

A couple working in the NSW Justice Department engaged in serious corrupt conduct by awarding $1.3 million in contracts to two companies that did little or no work, the state's corruption watchdog has found.

Anthony Andjic was a senior officer in the department's capital works unit when he began dating his colleague Fatima Hammoud in 2012.

It's alleged a year later, he paid two companies owned by Ms Hammoud's sister's boyfriend, Shadi Charca, to refurbish courthouses across the state.

The companies, Saff Projects and Triton Group, were awarded $1.3 million in contracts for work that should have cost far less, the Independent Commission Against Corruption found on Tuesday.

Mr Andjic gave Mr Charca and his now-wife's sister, Fayrouz Hammoud, the contracts despite knowing "that neither of them had qualifications or experience as project managers", it said.

Mr Andjic breached procurement policies over the contracts, the ICAC found.

ICAC said Mr Andjic and Fatima Hammoud also engaged in further serious corrupt conduct by lying in a job application to help her get a higher-paying position within the department.

The corruption watchdog has urged the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider charging Mr Andjic, his wife Fatima, Mr Charca and Fayrouz Hammoud over various fraud-related offences.

It's also made six recommendations to the department, including urging it to ensure its upcoming capital works program contains a mechanism for periodical reviews.