Victorian Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll has suspended V/Line CEO James Pinder.
Carroll made the decision due to advice from the Department of Transport that the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) had launched an investigation.
“On the basis of that advice, I directed the V/Line Board to immediately suspend Mr Pinder, while IBAC carries out its investigation,” said Carroll in a statement.
Nick Foa, who is currently head of transport services at the Department of Transport will step into Pinder’s role.
According to reports, IBAC is investigating the Department of Transport but is not providing any further information.
V/Line previously came to the attention of IBAC in its investigation into TAFE qualifications for workers.
V/Line and the Department of Transport were also subject to criticism by the Victorian Auditor-General over their handling of the Murray Basin Rail Project, with the stalled project having “not met scope, time, cost or quality expectations”.