Perth employee avoids jail for corruption

A former senior project officer at the City of Perth has escaped a prison sentence for acting corruptly while overseeing capital works projects.

Richelle Lee Batka, 38, was charged with two counts of corruption last year after an investigation by the Corruption and Crime Commission.

She was sentenced in the Perth District Court on Friday to one year in prison, suspended for 12 months.

Batka admitted providing a benefit to a private plumbing contractor by giving him confidential information from a tender document about a quote prepared by another firm.

The plumber then submitted a lower quote and gained the contract.

She also admitted allowing the same contractor to add an extra $5000 to a quote for a different job without any explanation.

Judge Simon Stone said Batka engaged in a "gross abuse of trust".

He accepted that Batka received no personal benefit from her corrupt acts but others were affected including ratepayers and another contractor.

The contractor who allegedly benefited from her actions has pleaded not guilty and is due in court in July.