Three senior bosses of Caerphilly County Borough Council have appeared in court charged with misconduct in a public office.
Anthony O’Sullivan, 55, chief executive of Caerphilly County Borough Council, and his deputy Nigel Barnett, 52, appeared alongside the authority’s head of legal Daniel Perkins, 49, at Bristol Crown Court on Monday January 5.
The three men each face a single charge of misconduct in a public office between June 25 2012 and October 10 2012.
The charge alleges the defendants “wilfully misconducted themselves in relation to securing Caerphilly County Borough Council’s approval of a remuneration package for the said council’s chief officers from which they stood to gain for themselves”.
They are also accused of deliberately failing to publish agenda and reports in advance of a meeting of the council’s Senior Remuneration Committee.
The charges state the men also deliberately introduced “gratuitous material” into one of the reports to provide a justification for public exemption.
They are also accused of applying a public interest test notice to the reports to exempt them when it was not merited.
No pleas were entered and the case was adjourned to a later hearing with a date to be decided.
O’Sullivan, of Merthyr Tydfil, Barnett, of Aberbargoed and Perkins, of Ebbw Vale, were all released on unconditional bail.
I wonder if the Court ( The Judge) was informed how much money this continuous delay in bringing justice in respect to these people ( Guilty or not) is costing each Caerphilly Ratepayer? This is a continuing disgrace.
I wonder if the Judge wads made aware that the delay in bring this case to trial is costing Caerphilly ratepayers, AT LEAST £10,000 a WEEK, in continuing payment and employment costs, pension contributions etc? This issue has cost well over a ONE AND A HALF MILLION pounds just in payments for the benefits of these men whilst on GARDENING LEAVE. God only knows what the legal costs are so far.
This issue will really go down in history.