New York crane inspector arrested on bribery charges

New York City chief crane inspector James Delayo has been arrested and charged with taking bribes to allow cranes to pass inspection.

He has also been accused of taking money to allow employees to pass the required licensing exam.

Delayo is acting chief inspector for the Cranes and Derricks Unit at the City's Department of Buildings, according to the New York Times.

The case against him comes just a week after a fatal crane collapse which killed two people, but the charges against him are not thought to relate directly to that accident.

Department of Investigation (DOI) commissioner Rose Gill Hearn said of the case: "DOI's investigation revealed the profoundly disturbing and sobering realisation that a senior inspector, responsible for ensuring that cranes operating in New York City are in proper condition and are operated by qualified individuals, is charged with selling out his own integrity in a way that compromised public safety."