NIAO criticises events chief

Following the revelation that a quango boss covered up a £1.5 million loss, the Northern Ireland Audit office (NIAO) has claimed her behaviour is the worst it has seen from a senior public official.

The NIAO claim that Northern Ireland Events Company’s Chief Executive Janice McAleese was involved in fabricating documents provided to the government department and her board of directors. It also claimed that following four motorbike events between 2005 and 2007 there was “potentially” a £262,500 shortfall in gate receipts lodged in the company’s bank account.

The report also criticised the company’s board for failing to provide adequate oversight. It blamed this on their “lack of financial skills” and low attendance amongst some board members. It also had harsh words for the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure who could, the report claims, have identified the problems “much earlier” if whistle-blower complaints had been better investigated. There was further criticism for a group of accountants who could have spotted that the company was technically insolvent in 2005 when it compiled its accounts.

Speaking about the findings of the report, former DCAL Minister Edwin Poots said it was an extreme case that should have been identified at a much earlier point and claimed that the board of the Northern Ireland Events Company and DCAL had taken their “eye off the ball” and “failed miserably.”