Former Mid and East Antrim chief faces prosecution over alleged deleted emails
The former head of Mid and East Antrim Council is facing prosecution in a probe into the alleged deletion of emails.
Anne Donaghy has 'denied any wrongdoing during her time in office'.
A solicitor of Ms Donaghy added she will 'vehemently contest these three technical offences'.
Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service (PPS) on Friday confirmed that it has taken a decision to prosecute two people following a police probe into the alleged deletion of emails related to a freedom of information (FOI) request at the council in 2021.
It comes after a BBC Spotlight programme reported police searches of the council offices in October 2021 and April 2022 were connected to an alleged attempt to delete correspondence around a decision to withdraw council staff involved in post-Brexit trade agreement checks at Larne Port.
During a time of political tension over the introduction of an 'Irish Sea border', a number of staff were temporarily removed from the posts for their safety following alleged threats from loyalist paramilitaries.
Department of Agriculture staff were also withdrawn from the port on February 1 2021 amid security concerns.
However police later said they were not aware of any credible threats.
A PPS spokesperson said one individual is being prosecuted for three offences under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and a second individual is being prosecuted for one offence under the same Act.
'The charges relate to offences allegedly committed in April 2021 and June 2021,' they said.
In total four individuals were reported on a police investigation file submitted to the PPS for consideration.
The PPS said a senior prosecutor carefully considered all the available evidence and applied the test for prosecution before taking decisions in relation to the four reported individuals.
'It has been determined that the available evidence in relation to the other two reported individuals is insufficient in order to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction and therefore the test for prosecution is not met in relation to them,' they said.
Solicitor Kevin Winters said Ms Donaghy has an outstanding High Court legal action against the council alleging discrimination.
'Today we received notification that she will be prosecuted on three counts of allegedly concealing records, aiding and abetting another person to erase or conceal a record and attempting to erase or conceal a record contrary to FOIA and other legislation,' he said.
'Our client denies any wrongdoing during her time in office and will vehemently contest these three technical offences.
'Central to her defence will be very strong allegations of investigative bias over the manner in which this inquiry has been conducted.
'Those same allegations have been the subject of a long-running complaint to PONI, the out workings of which will feature in any trial, if one is ever directed.'
He added: 'Anne Donaghy has an impeccable record and service working for the council.
'She wants to put on record her sincere thanks for the all the support she has received from former colleagues in council and beyond in the wider community.
'Our client takes a lot of strength from this and knows it will serve her well going forward when confronting what are essentially contrived politically motivated allegations.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Working-class voters are shifting from Labour to Reform. Here's why
New analysis reveals Labour is increasingly becoming the party of wealthier voters, with those earning over £70,000 more likely to support them. Working-class voters, particularly those earning £20,000 or less, are significantly shifting their allegiance to Reform UK, which leader Nigel Farage claims is now the true party of the working class. This political realignment is linked to working-class discontent over the cost of living crisis, reliance on public services, and issues like Brexit and immigration. Reform UK is attracting these voters with specific policy promises, while Labour defectors to Reform are often less educated and voted to leave the European Union, the analysis found. The findings indicate a broken traditional link between Labour and its working-class base, prompting calls for a party reset following internal disputes over welfare reform.
STV News
3 hours ago
- STV News
Rod Stewart says country should 'give Farage a chance'
Sir Rod Stewart has called on Britain to 'give Nigel Farage a chance' as he revealed how close he came to pulling out of his Glastonbury appearance. The 80-year-old singer backed the Reform UK leader ahead of appearing in the festival's afternoon legends slot on Sunday, 23 years after he headlined the Pyramid Stage. 'I've read about (Sir Keir) Starmer cutting off the fishing in Scotland and giving it back to the EU. That hasn't made him popular,' he told The Times. 'We're fed up with the Tories. We've got to give Farage a chance. He's coming across well. Nigel? What options have we got? 'Starmer's all about getting us out of Brexit and I don't know how he's going to do that. Still, the country will survive. It could be worse. We could be in the Gaza Strip.' Admitting his wealth ensures 'a lot of it doesn't really touch me', he insisted he is not out of touch and expressed his support for Ukraine – criticising US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance for their treatment of Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky on his visit to the White House – and Gaza. 'It's depressing, what's going on in the Gaza Strip,' he said. 'Netanyahu doesn't realise that this is what happened to his people under the Nazis: total annihilation. And Trump is going to turn the Gaza Strip into Miami?' Stewart said a prolonged bout of flu, which forced him to cancel five shows in the US, nearly forced him to withdraw from a Glastonbury appearance he described as his 'World Cup final'. 'This time last week I was thinking of cancelling,' he told The Sun, crediting his wife Penny Lancaster with nursing him back to health. 'I have had Influenza A. It's been so terrible. It's the worst thing anyone could possibly have, I wouldn't wish it on anyone. 'Apart from (Vladimir) Putin. I'd wish it on him.' Stewart told The Sun he had negotiated an extra quarter of an hour on top of the allotted 75 minutes for his set. He confirmed he will be joined at Glastonbury by former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood, Simply Red's Mick Hucknall and Lulu, as well as performing the song Powderfinger by Saturday headliner Neil Young. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill risks unravelling Windsor Framework
As a former Solicitor General and Chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee, I am no stranger to the legal complexities that arise when Westminster legislation intersects with our post-Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland. Yet even by those standards, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill now before Parliament represents an extraordinary and avoidable collision course with the law. Ministers have sheepishly suggested that the Bill does not affect trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. That is a surprising conclusion, and, in my view, a legally indefensible one. As someone who helped oversee the legal machinery of government, I can say this plainly: legislation that purports to apply across the UK but cannot lawfully operate in Northern Ireland is both constitutionally and legally incoherent. The problem is relatively straightforward. Under the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland continues to follow key parts of EU law to maintain access to the EU Single Market for goods. One such law is the 2014 EU Tobacco Products Directive, which mandates that tobacco can be legally sold to adults aged 18 and over. The UK Bill proposes a generational ban, effectively criminalising the sale of tobacco to anyone born after 2008. The contradiction is obvious. If the Bill applies UK-wide, Northern Ireland will be out of step with EU law. If the Bill is not enforceable in Northern Ireland, then the UK's internal market will be fragmented. Either outcome exposes the UK to legal challenge and breaches the treaty obligations we signed only last year. The Windsor Framework is not merely political scaffolding; it is now part of an international treaty that carries direct effect in UK law. As I saw time and again during my tenure as Chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee, the unique legal position of Northern Ireland requires careful and nuanced handling. Blunt instruments like this Bill risk unravelling the hard-won gains of recent years. The legal risk is not hypothetical. The courts in Northern Ireland – in cases such as Dillon v Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, have confirmed their power to dis-apply UK legislation that contravenes the Framework. The relevant test, long established, would be easily met here. The right to purchase legal goods, like tobacco, is an economic right protected under the Framework and the Good Friday Agreement. To remove that right in Northern Ireland, by domestic legislation that conflicts with EU law, would be a direct breach of both. It is simply inconceivable that such a law could stand in Northern Ireland without falling foul of the courts. I say this not as a political opponent of the Bill's objectives, (I actually voted in favour of the Bill in principle under the last government) but as a KC who has spent years navigating the legal thickets of post-Brexit Britain. The law matters. International obligations matter. Our constitutional order depends on Parliament respecting both. I have been greatly disappointed by the level of forensic legal rigour applied to the Bill that is required for it to get muscular enough to be considered remotely workable. The choice now before Parliament is not whether to press ahead with the generational ban. It is whether to press ahead lawfully. That cannot be done until the UK secures agreement through the UK–EU Joint Committee or expressly exempts Northern Ireland from the scope of the Bill. Until then, the Government must pause this legislation. Anything less risks breaching international law, undermining the internal market, and inviting yet another avoidable constitutional crisis.
