30 names handed to CPS over Northampton Borough Council loan
0Police are ready to send files on 30 people to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over £10.25m lent by Northampton Borough Council for the redevelopment of the town’s football ground.
A total of £13.5m was loaned to Northampton Town FC in a series of deals to rebuild the East Stand and develop land next to its Sixfields Stadium.
An outstanding amount £10.25m is still owed to the council after the development company went into administration.
Northamptonshire Police has now spoken to over 550 witnesses and suspects over the course of its investigation.
A statement from the force said: “The team are currently preparing evidential packages in respect of 30 individuals for the consideration of the Crown Prosecution Service.
“In deciding whether individuals are charged withcriminal offences, it is the role of the Crown Prosecution Service to assess the strength of this evidence and the public interest factors for or against prosecution”.
The council called in the police and auditors PWC to look into the missing money in December 2015.
A report from PWC in November 2016 heavily criticised the council’s oversight of the loan which was made by the council’s cabinet without proper analysis.
The report went on to say that the decision to increase the loan from the original £12m to£13.5m was not reported to cabinet, as good practice would have dictated.
The auditor also pointed to a rushed timetable, with pressure from the then leader David Mackintosh to get the loan through.
The police investigation covers £36,000 in donations to Mackintosh’s local Conservative Association by Howard Grossman, whose company, 1st Land, won the contract for the development.
The council is suing the club’s former owners David, Anthony and Christina Cardoza.
